Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the challenges of the Kerala Forest Department have grown manifold with ever-increasing menace posed by wildlife, its plan to set up new stations and Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) have been stymied by the Finance Department.

The Forest Department had drawn up plans to open 40 Forest stations and seven RRTs in a bid to improve its services so that the public could be secured from attacks by wild animals that stray into inhabited areas. Though these plans were submitted to the Finance Department five years ago, they have not received approval yet even though four reminders too were sent in between.

The Finance Department cites prevailing financial crunch of the State for not denying the sanction. There was no decision on the file even after the Forest Department revised its recommendation, cutting down the number of forest stations from 40 to 20.

The Finance Department returned the file, a month ago, marking that a fresh finance source must be found to set up Forest stations and to form RRTs.

Five-year trail

It was in 2018 the then-Forest Minister K Raju first recommended new forest stations and RRTs. The proposal was in response to the rise in wild animal attacks in the State. In the beginning, the Finance Department returned the file stating that creating positions for recruitment to RRTs would lead to a financial burden. The Forest Department came up with an alternative and wrote again for approval stating that the service of the beat forest officers selected from the tribal communities can be used for the RRTs, but in vain. The Finance Department did not approve it either.

The Forest Department submitted a recommendation yet again seeking to urgently approve at least 7 RRT units, one in each district. Then, the proposal was further revised and the number of forest stations demanded was cut down to 20. Still, the Finance Department did not budge. Later, the file was returned.

The demand was brought to the Chief Minister’s attention following which the CM send a note to the Finance Department. However, there has been no further action on it.