Staff shortage hampers work of Forest department to keep smugglers at bay

Baramulla, Jan 2: On Tuesday night, on specific information, the employees of the JV division Baramulla seized 55 CFT in the Khadniyar area of Baramulla town.

Although timber smugglers escaped from the scene, the employees were able to seize the vehicle.

In 2024, the JV Division Baramulla seized around 2,122 cubic feet (cft) of illicit timber across its four divisions—Deobgah, Baramulla, Boniyar, and Uri.

Despite these efforts, questions remain about the department's ability to protect the forests effectively and at its source.

Experts say that it takes nearly a century for a deodar tree to reach its optimal strength, making proactive protection against illegal felling critical. However, the department’s current staffing and logistical challenges make this nearly impossible.

The JV Division Baramulla is responsible for managing a vast forest expanse of 53,007 hectares, including 12,025 hectares of wildlife areas.

While the department has responsibility to patrol 41000 hectares of forest land, yet, out of a sanctioned staff strength of 311, only 180 personnel are currently available.

“Forest department is facing a lot of challenges due to the dearth of staff. Besides, lack of forest mobilisation vehicles is another issue which if addressed will enable us to reach the vulnerable area in a short period of time,” said Bashir Ahmad, a forest employee.

In the JV division Baramulla, there are 76 forest beats. In some cases, small forest beats comprising just a few employees are responsible for patrolling up to 300 hectares—a task described as "humanly impossible" by department officials.

“There are 76 forest beats across the JV division Baramulla , and each beat is assigned vast areas to monitor. With such limited manpower, how can we protect the forests effectively?” an official questioned.

The situation is exacerbated by the absence of forest mobilisation vehicles, which are essential for reaching vulnerable and remote forest areas.

In the entire JV Division Baramulla, there is only one mobilisation vehicle, which is exclusively attached to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).

"Without mobilisation vehicles, it becomes extremely difficult to prevent tree-cutting at its source," said a forest department official. "We manage to seize the illicit timber, but stopping the act of felling of trees is itself is a challenge due to the lack of resources."

Officials claim that mobilisation vehicles could offset the staffing shortages by enabling swift responses to reports of illegal felling of trees. However, the absence of these vehicles leaves large swathes of forest land vulnerable to exploitation.

Forest experts and environmentalists are calling for immediate measures to address these deficiencies. They stress the importance of proactive protection to prevent deforestation, which threatens not only the environment but also the livelihoods of local populations that depend on these forests.

"The department needs urgent intervention in terms of staffing and resources," an official said. "If these issues are not addressed, we risk losing these invaluable forest resources permanently."

When contacted, Divisional Forest Officer Baramulla, Satyendra Maurya, said that although challenges are there, the department is committed to safeguard the forests at any cost.

He said the shortage of staff had been already communicated to the higher officials and the issue will be addressed soon.

“The dedicated staff of the forest department ensures that deforestation is not be allowed. The higher authorities often take a review of the department and take note of the staff shortage. We are hopeful that it will be addressed soon,” said DFO, JV division Baramulla.