Guwahati, Oct 23 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched an online transfer portal for the Forest Department, facilitating the transfer of 2,137 employees through a randomisation system aimed at ensuring transparency and fairness in postings.
The Employee Transfer Randomisation System (ETRS) was launched at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur for employees of the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The first phase covers Deputy Rangers, Foresters, Forest Guards, fixed-pay workers and game watchers who have completed three years at their current places of posting. Transfer orders were issued immediately after the launch.
The government has exempted certain categories from the exercise, including officials aged 58 and above, personnel with specified serious medical conditions in their immediate families, those covered by pregnancy-related considerations, employees who have not completed three years at their present postings, specialised wildlife personnel and officials under suspension, subject to applicable rules.
Addressing the programme, Sarma said the government was extending transparency in recruitment to employee transfers as well.
He cited the Swagat Satirtha portal, through which several thousand employees seeking mutual transfers had been accommodated over the past two years, and urged other departments to adopt similar technology-driven systems.
The Chief Minister also directed the Forest Department to strengthen efforts to prevent encroachment on forest land, emphasising early detection through satellite imagery and artificial intelligence.
He said more than 600 hectares of forest land had recently been cleared of encroachment and called for immediate afforestation on reclaimed areas.
Sarma asked Divisional Forest Officers to act proactively rather than approach the police after encroachments had spread over large areas.
He advocated an alert mechanism to identify illegal occupation at an early stage, reducing the need for large-scale eviction drives.
He also expressed concern over the Forest Department’s royalty and revenue collections remaining stagnant at around Rs 700 crore over the past three years. He called for legalising eligible stone quarries and sand-mining sites to curb illegal extraction, boost government revenue and generate employment.
Referring to the proposed expenditure of around Rs 1 lakh crore on national highway construction in Assam, Sarma said legally authorised sources of construction materials could help meet demand while preventing illegal trade.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, MP Debashish Sharma and senior government officials attended the programme.
–IANS
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