Countryside Management Association News

The Maharashtra forest department recently announced 1,175 Forest Guard job vacancies. It was flooded with applications - more than one hundred times the number of jobs available. The physical criterion for recruitment was a 25-km run for men and a 14-km run for women. On 13 September, 9,500 aspirants appeared for 85 posts in Yavatmal forest division and during the 25 km race several collapsed, eight were admitted in hospital, and a 23-year-old, Balaji Narsingrao Tirmanwar died. Having covered 12.5 km one way during his 25-km run he was on his way back when he collapsed.

Asked if the run was too harsh, Head of Forest Force Alok Joshi said: “The incident was very sad. But there is a huge response to our recruitment. Candidates undertake that they will run at their own risk. We also make it clear in the advertisement that only those fit to perform such tests must apply. We have arranged for beds, glucose, water, ambulances, doctors etc along the route. The minimum requirement is that the run should be completed in four hours.
However, a senior police officer said: “Making them run 25 km is a terrible idea. Even in police recruitment, there is no such requirement. Police aspirants are judged on their performance in 100 m and 800 m runs, shot-put, pull-ups and long jump.”
The Army have a qualifying fitness test in which an aspirant has to cover 1.6 km in five minutes. “Twenty-five kilometres sounds like a very tall order.”
But defending the criterion, Joshi said: “The forest guard’s job requires walking that long routinely.”

Orissa; India: Suspected Left-wing extremists gunned down a 29-year-old forest guard at Bheden in Bargarh district (Orissa) in cold blood on Sunday 18 September . The murder triggered angry reactions from the field staff of the Forest department, who demanded appropriate compensation for the family.

Narayan Duan, who patrolled the Jaipur beat in Padampur Forest Reserve, was taken to the outskirts of the village, he was tied up before being shot. He is survived by his wife and a two- year-old daughter.