Sariska National Park Faces Shortage of Officials

Sariska national park in Rajasthan faces a shortage of officials willing to stay on as District Forest Officers (DFO). Officials do not want to stay in the park because of the big responsibility and the possibility of more tiger deaths. So soon after appointment, they start pulling strings to get transferred to a new location. Rajasthan’s Chief Conservator of Forests, P.S. Somshekar contends that there is a shortage of senior officials who can take up the DFO post. Three out of six Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) posts also remain vacant. Five of seven ranger posts are also vacant, as are four forester posts. There was a shortage of guards too until recently. Former Sariska DFO Sunayan Sharma states that the protection of the park and animals is a major issue and nobody wants to take up the big responsibility.