West Bengal forest rangers strike work over demand for permanent status

Madarihat (West Bengal), Apr 11 (ANI): Around 150 forest rangers and allied staff in the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal are on indefinite strike.

They have struck work since Monday over a demand for permanent employment in the Forest Department.

They have been employed on casual basis for the past 15 to 20 years and claimed that the government of West Bengal has ignored their demand for regularisation of their services in the latest circular.

"We are on indefinite strike since April 05...we will continue to abstain from work till our demands are met," said Partho Sarathi Sinha, Secretary, Jaldapara Game Sanctuary Workers Association.

Sujit Das, Secretary of Nature and Adventure Sciences, an NGO devoted to the wildlife said the strike has caused a serious crisis.

The sanctuary is spread over 141 kilometres and boasts of at least eight Royal Bengal tigers, nine leopards, elephants numbering nearly sixty and good number of one-horned rhinoceros apart from sambhar, deer, bisons and a wide range of reptiles.

These animals are taken care by the Divisional Conservator of Forests and Wildlife Warden of Jaldapara Range with the help of the sanctuary rangers and staff who presently are on strike. (ANI)