Safety of animals at stake with no guards to look after

ES Reporter

ITANAGAR, Jun 9: Over 200 contingency workers of Pakke Tiger Reserve today staged a dharna and went on a strike over non-payment of wages since December 2020, leaving the tiger reserve unguarded.
All the 202 contingency workers, along with their eight elephants converged at the administrative office of the tiger reserve spread over 862 km to demand their wages for the last six months. Holding placards and banners they gave slogans like ‘No Pay No Work, Save Pakke Tiger Reserve'. Staff under Rillo, Tippi and Seijosa forest ranges participated in the dharna . "Our strike was scheduled from May 2 but was withdrawn after state Environment and Forest Minister Mama Natung promised that the wages would be released. We can manage somehow, but all of us have families to maintain with the meager wages we get," Pakke Tiger Reserve Workers Union general secretary Nikum Nabam told newsmen.
“For the last six months we haven’t received our salary," lamented a staff of the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF). We get only a mere salary in exchange of our hard works that too risking our lives, but the state government is reluctant to release our salary, he added. We have vacated our anti-poacher camp and unless we get a written assurance of the release of our salary and increment within a couple of days we are not going back to our duties, the staff stated. "I am surrendering my dog to the department and will not attend duty unless I get my salary," said TH Tara, a Dog Master of Pakke Tiger Reserve. 
Mahout Pali Nabam who came with an elephant to surrender it to the department said  “Everybody is suffering due to pandemic, and we are extending our service without any question to the authority  but  enough is enough now we can’t work more without salary, We also have a families to feed."
Other than payment of wages of the staff under Project Tiger, the union has demanded regularisation of the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF), an increase of wage last revised in 2018 to Rs 11,000 per month, and monthly payout instead of periodic disbursement. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) provides the wages of the contingency staff of the tiger reserve periodically through the state government. The contingency workers were given their wages from April-November 2020 after the NTCA had sanctioned Rs 6.05 crore for the 2020-2021 financial year and released a part of it. "The second installment of Rs 1.32 crore was released in January but the money is lying in the state exchequer instead of being transferred to the Divisional Forest Officer of our tiger reserve for disbursement of wages," Nabam said, adding that the workers have been borrowing or surviving on meagre donations. However, the environment and forest minister said the workers should have waited two-three days for their wages."There were no officers to handle their wages due to the Covid-19-induced emergency. But the process has been started and they should get their wages in a few days," Natung said.

"It is a pity that NTCA has focussed on tiger reserves in Assam, including Nameri Tiger Reserve, adjoining Pakke. We know protecting the tiger habitats in Arunachal Pradesh is crucial for the conservation of big cats in India, but it is difficult to focus on empty stomachs," a member of the Pakke workers union said. With inputs from PTI 

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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