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| Govt’s writ runs, officer returns to join as Chief Wildlife Warden | | | MUNISH GUPTA
Jammu, Nov 23: After a high profile controversy over seniority, a sustained campaign against the government for 50 days, notices of resignation and premature retirement in protest, one of the senior most officers of Forest Department Irshad Ahmed Khan today quietly joined as Chief Wildlife Warden, obeying the cabinet order which he had challenged to the core. The development comes a week after Early Times reported government’s intended action against officer for mocking the Cabinet orders.
Irshad Ahmed Khan, then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, was transferred by the Cabinet on October 1 and posted as Chief Wildlife Warden. However, instead of following Cabinet decision and joining at the new place of posting he went to the media with his criticism against the government and declared to resign the very next day. Apparently it took 50 days to make up mind on what exactly should happen.
Though the normal procedure had required handover and takeover of charge, Khan had relinquished the post of Principal Chief Conservator of Forest on October 10 without handing over charge to his successor Jagdish Kishwan. Kishwan had joined as PCCF on October 12 and for two days the Forest Department was virtually headless. The same precedent was repeated today Khan instead of formally taking over the charge just assumed office without informing the incumbent.
Since October 10, Khan did not join any office and was reportedly away from Jammu and Kashmir. Sources in Forest Department said that he was neither no leave nor on any official assignment.
There have been at least ten news reports quoting Irshad Khan on record that he is not going to join as the Chief Wildlife Warden in any case. During the days immediately after Cabinet decision, Khan was quoted as saying that he is resigning from the services instead of joining at the new post which he described as demotion. However, in the latter days he was quoted as saying that he has applied for premature retirement. Commissioner Secretary Forest Shantmanu had also been quoted confirming that a request for premature retirement has been received from Khan.
It may be mentioned here that Early Times had recently reported about government’s intended action against Khan for disobeying the Cabinet order. The department had moved a note to the Cabinet to take an appropriate action against the officer for mocking at its orders.
However, in a surprise development this morning, Khan quietly moved into the Wildlife office at Manda and joined as Chief Wildlife Warden, the post he had categorically declined to accept. Until today the charge of Chief Wildlife Warden was with RD Tiwari, another PCCF level officer, currently Director of State Forest Research Institute. Tiwari would divide his day between SFRI office at Janipur during the forenoon and at Wildlife office at Manda during the afternoon. However, this afternoon when he left the SFRI office for Manda office of Wildlife department he was taken by surprise as someone else (Khan) was occupying the office. When asked if he was informed about takeover by Khan, Tiwari said he came to know about it while on way to Wildlife office and added, “charge was assumed by Khan and not taken over”.
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