Maharashtra Forest Employees Form New Body For Job Security
A newly formed collective of Maharashtra forest personnel is amplifying long-standing calls for the regularisation of temporary staff, spotlighting workforce equity and administrative reform within the state’s forest department. The initiative, to be formalised in a state-level meeting in Gondia on February 7, underscores systemic labour issues that resonate with broader public service employment debates in India.
The Maharashtra Forest Employees-Officers Vigilance Army, a platform comprising officers and frontline staff from all eleven forest circles, has been organised in response to what participants describe as years of unaddressed grievances. Central to its agenda is the demand for formal government service protection for nearly 12,991 temporary forest guards and other temporary hires who have served across territorial, wildlife, social forestry and forest development units without permanent status.Temporary roles have long been a feature of forest department staffing, reflecting wider trends in public sector workforce practices where contingent employment absorbs routine operational tasks. But labour rights advocates say prolonged temporary engagement without a clear pathway to permanency undermines employee morale, reduces institutional capacity over time, and creates structural inequities between contract and permanent workers — concerns echoed in judicial pronouncements on labour regularisation nationwide.
“We have served for years protecting forests and wildlife, yet our employment security remains unsettled,” said a spokesperson for the new body. Organisers also emphasise concerns over alleged corruption, workplace pressure and harassment, asserting that enhanced internal vigilance and transparent administrative mechanisms are essential to improve governance within the department itself.Labour law specialists note that the forest sector’s regularisation debate parallels national judicial trends, where courts have intervened to safeguard temporary workers performing ongoing, essential functions. Recent rulings by the Bombay High Court and other benches have underscored that continuous employment without formal status for extended periods can amount to unfair labour practice, particularly when work is integral to organisational mandates.
Critics of the current temporary model argue that it disincentivises skill development and retention, particularly in specialised roles requiring knowledge of ecology, wildlife protection and landscape management — functions critical to Maharashtra’s biodiversity goals and climate resilience commitments. With growing demands on forest services due to human-wildlife conflict, eco-tourism and conservation initiatives, a stable and motivated workforce is seen as vital to operational effectiveness.However, administrative authorities face fiscal and procedural challenges. Creating permanent posts requires sanctioned strength, budget allocations and reconfigured recruitment frameworks — steps that involve cross-department coordination and legislative oversight. Balancing these with the immediacy of service delivery and ecological mandates poses a complex governance task, officials familiar with the sector say.
The forthcoming meeting in Gondia is expected to adopt resolutions urging state policymakers to initiate policy clarity on the future of temporary employees, aligned with broader public sector workforce reforms. Beyond employment status, advocates say institutionalising transparent grievance redress mechanisms and enhancing workforce participation in decision-making could build trust, strengthen departmental efficacy, and ensure that the men and women tasked with safeguarding forests are not left behind in administrative structures.
