Forest dept may lose services of tiger vets Lemuel Lall

BHOPAL: After losing its Tiger State tag to Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh is on the verge of losing the services of expert vets who look after animals in five national parks. Unhappy with the lack of allowances and a cadre, the veterinarians, who are on deputation with the forest department for more than 10 years, want to return to their parent state animal husbandry department. "Even after risking our lives while treating carnivorous animals and working round-the-clock, we get no extra allowances. Even a non-practice allowance is not paid to us," one of the five vets told TOI. "Our counterparts in Animal Husbandry Department work for six to eight hours only and their job does not involve much risk, still they manage to earn a decent salary," he added. "We did a PG diploma in wildlife management from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, before joining as vets. Some of us have even done a PG diploma in wildlife health management from WII, besides specialised courses from South Africa and UK. But in the absence of a cadre, we are still awaiting promotions. We had come on deputation to the forest department in 2000. Our consent was not sought though it is mandatory. We can seek the court's help to return to our parent department, but that will be our last option," he said. The recommendations of the committee formed in 2006 to formulate wildlife health policy are yet to be implemented. Principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) H S Pabla said his department does not want to lose the vets on deputation, as they have a rich experience. "I have forwarded a proposal regarding their demands to the state government. We want to have a permanent veterinarian cadre," he added. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/Forest-dept-may-lose-services-of-tiger-vets/articleshow/10386298.cms