At a press conference organized by the Junior Foresters´ Association of Nepal (JFAN), Ranger Foresters´ Association (RFA) and Nepal Foresters´ Association (NFA) Monday, the foresters raised a strong voice against the frequent transfer of District Forest Officers (DFO) and other employees, who then become “confused” and work in “low morale”.
“The system is such that as the government changes, all brokers of the political parties engage in a racket and work to place their own people in important positions,” Devesmani Tripathy, President of NFA, said at the press meet.
“How can the forests be safe when the system is corrupt?” Tripathy asked.
The speakers said that politicization and pressure from the parties is hampering the real work in the forests by causing delays in decision-making.
“The truth is...rangers work in extremely dangerous circumstances,” Tripathy pointed out, adding, “Even armed groups and the employees themselves are involved in illegal lumbering.”
“The administration is feeble and the system highly corrupt,” commented Binod Singh, president of RFA.
Over the last two years in Rautahat alone, three DFOs have been transferred. The officials said DFO Bali Ram Pandit was transferred from there “under pressure from smugglers”.
Uttam Katawal, President of JFAN, said, “Ram Lal´s is the fifth planned murder in Rautahat.”
Sah´s murder “organized”
A three-member team including presidents of the three foresters´ associations said at the press conference Monday that Sah´s murder has left a lot of room for “suspicion.”
The team said the body was found 30 meters from where the first blood stain was seen.
Tripathy added that the others must be interrogated as well.
The team was given no access to the postmortem report. A team of over 50 rangers under nine DFOs had gathered in Rautahat a few days ago to protest Sah´s death.
Ram Lal Sah, a ranger at Brindaban range post of Chetnagar area forest office, was killed at Bathan check point in Rautahat on December 19.
Meanwhile, the foresters also organized a sit-in at MoFSC Monday, demanding proper investigation into Sah´s death and corruption at the ministry.
Meanwhile, Minister for Forests Deepak Bohara, who was contacted for his reaction, said, "We will form an investigation committee soon, and we have also proposed to declare Sah a martyr". He also said the ministry was trying to promote transparency in the transfer of officials.
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