Forestry students stage protest in Karnataka’s Shivamogga

Students of Bachelor of Science (BSc.) in Forestry staged a protest in Shivamogga on October 14, demanding that a BSc. in Forestry be made the minimum qualification to apply for the posts of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Range Forest Officer (RFO), and Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO).

Students from the College of Agricultural Sciences at Iruvakki in Sagar taluk staged a protest march and gathered in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner in the city.

The protesters stated that the Karnataka government in 2003 reserved 50% of ACF and RFO posts for those with bachelor degrees in forestry. Later, the quantum was increased 75% in 2012; however, in 2018, the quantum was reduced to 50%, they said. Besides that, the administrative reforms commission, headed by retired IAS officer T.M. Vijay Bhaskar favoured the filling up of DRFO posts through promotions, they added.

Protests were staged by forestry students against these developments in 2024, following which, the government formed a committee to consider their demands and submit a report. However, there had been no development in this regard since then.

The students maintained that the Forest Department posts should be reserved for them as they study forestry for three years and argued that there was no logic behind denying them opportunities to serve the department.