Dehradun: The transfer of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers in Uttarakhand could not be finalized. Although a meeting of the Civil Services Board (CSB) was scheduled, it could not be held due to unavoidable circumstances. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) has allotted 5 IFS officers to the Uttarakhand cadre, which will help address the shortage of IFS officers in the state to some extent.
IFS officers in Uttarakhand will have to wait longer for their postings. Despite the scheduled meeting of the Civil Services Board, the board could not take a decision on the transfers. This is because the meeting of the Civil Services Board, scheduled for 5:30 PM on Friday at the Secretariat, could not be convened. While unavoidable reasons were cited for the cancellation of the meeting, it is believed that the meeting did not take place due to incomplete preparations.
The Uttarakhand Forest Department is currently facing a severe shortage of officers, with many positions being held by officers with double or even more responsibilities. This is the case not only at the field level but also at the forest headquarters, where individual officers are holding two or four positions simultaneously. Importantly, the department is unable to find regular officers for several crucial positions. At the forest headquarters, several positions, including PCCF Wildlife, CAMPA, Forest Panchayat, and Administration, are being held on a dual charge basis.
Meanwhile, several officers have recently been promoted, and some of them may be given new postings. However, most are expected to remain in their current positions. Among those promoted is Saket Badola of the 2008 batch, who is currently the Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve. He has also been holding the additional charge of the important Western Circle for a considerable time. Saket Badola has been promoted from CF to CCF. The promotion of T.R. Biju Lal of the 2004 batch was also considered, but due to technical reasons, he could not be promoted to CCF at this time. Among those promoted are IFS officers Kalyani and Chandrashekhar Joshi. Although they had already been given the charge of CF (Conservator of Forests) on an acting basis, with this promotion to the CF rank, they have now become full-fledged Conservators of Forests. Five officers from the 2017 batch—Mahatim Yadav, Kundan Kumar, Deepak Singh, Ashutosh Singh, and Puneet Tomar—have also been promoted. All of them completed their mandatory nine years of service in January 2026, after which they received the benefit of promotion to the JAG (Junior Administrative Grade).
The list of those promoted also includes Indian Forest Service officers from the 2022 batch. Three officers from this batch have been promoted from a grade pay of 5400 to 6600. These officers who have received the Senior Time Scale include Akash Gangwar, Tarun S., and Rahul Mishra.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) has allotted five IFS officers to Uttarakhand. Five IFS officers from the 2024 batch have been assigned to the state. These officers have completed the first phase of their professional training at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, on a provisional basis. After this two-year training, the five officers who have been allotted the Uttarakhand cadre have been sent for four months of on-the-job training.
After this, they will have to report back to the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy to complete further training, after which they will be able to work as officers in Uttarakhand. The five officers who have been allotted the Uttarakhand cadre are Dino Purushottam, Gaurav Verma, Shirin Sanjay Pandit, Vineet Kumar, and Yash Dobhal.
