New NTCA guidelines to hold Field Directors more accountable

A TOI report today cites the new Tripartite agreement between Centre, State and the Park recently cleared by the cabinet making Field Directors of the reserves personally responsible for each tiger loss. The new guidelines also lay out strick monitoring and fund release instructions so that money is utislised in a timely and wise manner. Though it is a welcome move to bring in more accountablility system but only holding Field Directors responsible without any part of the responsibiity affixed on the mandarins in the state goverment will only be a quick fix at best. Field Directos in parks are shunted around at the whims of politial and bureaucratic machinaries and unless rampant politicisation of forest department in states is countered not much might come out of these new guidelines. A case in point Panna in MP where the field directors were changed repeatedly over the last few years and as per recent reports all tigers have vanished from teh sanctuary. Unless officials who take over the park are allowed to settle down and put a plan of action in place it would be unfair to blame them for losses. The centre should similarly fix a minimun tenure requirement for field directors and any shiftings before time should happen only in urgent cases and with the centre's approval. Though forest conservation is a state subject but given the urgent importance of the issue and that it affects the long terms sustainability of forest areas and wildlife habitats there is an urgent need for the centre to play increasingly larger roles in Forest conservation than leave them to the whims and fancies or sometimes corrupt and inept state officials. Like the Supreme court mandaded committee on Police reforms, the centre should set up a committee to review the working of state forest departments and release a detailed set of dont and donts vis a vis people, funds and processes so as that streamline the efforts of governments across states. Only then there is hope that we will be able to salvage what is left of our wildlife heritage. Else releasing new guidelines will only tackle parts of the problem and the larger issues will keep corroding the system

Field director to be punished for tiger loss

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4804825.cms