By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 10 Jul: The State Forest Department is on the verge of appointing its new head, with all requisite formalities from the central government now complete. Preparations are in full swing for the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting, slated for tomorrow to finalise the name of the new Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the Head of Forest Force. Sources claim that there is a strong likelihood of PCCF and the officiating HoFF Sameer Sinha being formally promoted as HoFF in the DPC.
The appointment of the new HoFF will mark the selection of the state’s 17th forest chief. The DPC meeting is to be chaired by Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, with participation of Principal Secretary (Forests) RK Sudhanshu, Secretary (Personnel) Shailesh Bagoli, and an officer nominated by the Government of India. According to the sources, the HoFF of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department has been nominated for this promotion-related process.
All procedural communication with the central government has been completed by the Uttarakhand administration prior to scheduling the DPC. With the green signal received, the path has now been cleared for the formal selection of the new HoFF.
It may be recalled that, traditionally, the post of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF) in Uttarakhand has been so far filled based on seniority. By that criterion, the most senior officer, Sameer Sinha, is strongly likely to assume the role on a formal basis after approval by the DPC. It may be recalled that Sinha is presently holding the position as an additional charge and will take full responsibility following the outcome of the DPC. The vacancy arose after the voluntary retirement of Dhananjai Mohan, the former forest chief just about a month before his retirement.
