Unlike local women who often go into dense forests to foray for firewood and fodder and then return to the safety of their homes, it is quite challenging for women working in the India Forest Service who have to live and work in the tough terrains of wild forest in India.
The forest postings also separate them from their families. Owing to these obstacles, many women avoid jobs in the forest department, or prefer to work from offices in cities. There are few like Pooja Rawal, 39, range officer at Timli Range of Kalsi Forest Division in Dehradun district, in the Northern state of Uttarakhand in India, who have successfully broken all these stereotypes and, is inspiring others of her ilk to work in the forest landscape.
“It is not tough terrain or wildlife species or other petty inconveniences like the absence of washroom during long patrolling in the forest area which deters me but it is the attitude of menfolk in the forest service towards female officers which was a slight dampener in the beginning. Given their patriarchal leaning, male staff dislike taking orders from a female boss and, show their discomfit in some way or the other. It took me three years to see a change in their misogynist attitude”, she said.
Rawal successfully battled against all possible odds such as power play, a strike by her staff in open defiance against her and in most bizarre, cases slapped by miners of the neighbouring state against her, with exemplary fortitude.
Her adventurous professional journey began from her first territorial posting in Timli Range of Kalsi Forest Division on 13 July 2017.
“Posting in Kalsi Forest Division is considered a coveted posting as it is in the state capital, therefore few other officials began flexing their muscles to replace me. After just 16 days of my appointment, my transfer orders came, but I was not willing to bite the dust and challenged it in the high court which reinstated me on 16 August,” she explained.
Her joy of victory was short-lived as she started facing resentment from a dominant lobby of truants in her office who were adamant about defying the dictate of a female boss. They pounced upon the first opportunity which came their way. “When I transferred one non-performing and shrewd employee, he filed a case of harassment against me under SC/ST Act. Many others in the office who were feeling suffocated due to my stringent monitoring of their performance and compliance with rules joined the bandwagon and stirred a strike. Fortunately, their stratagem did not last much longer as they got no support from the headquarters. “
She said, most of them have fallen in line, realising fully well that she means business. “Men have this mentality about a married working woman with children that she would not be a die-hard professional and, thus would stick to a 10 AM to 5 PM work routine to be able to attend her domestic duties as well. It is ironic, instead of respecting her for multi-tasking and juggling many roles, they tend to take a woman lightly, “she said.
Apart from these home turf wars, Rawal is encountering a unique and bizarre situation also. Since December 2018, the revenue and forest officials of neighbouring state Himachal Pradesh has laid claims to about 26 hectares of forest land in Dhaula Tappar area which falls in Rawal's range. Going one step further, a chunk of this land has been given on lease by the mining officer of Sirmaur district of Himachal for river mining, as River Yamuna flows from this area.
Kunal Angrish, divisional forest official of Paonta Sahib in Himachal said, “A joint survey of disputed land was conducted last year by the authorised official of Surveyor General of India in the presence of revenue and forest officials of Paonta Sahib and forest officials of Kalsi Forest Division. The survey officer deducted in his report the disputed area of Dhaula Tappar belongs to Himachal.”
However, Uttarakhand Forest Department has refused to endorse this report. As the area falls under Rawal’s domain, she is at forefront of this turf war, something which she is doing with all her might and determination. “The signposts such as pillars etc which were indicators of borderline got swept away in the Yamuna river. Over the years, the river also seemed to have changed its course which has triggered this controversy. Just on the other end of the river is Paonta Sahib city of Himachal where the officials of that area have begun laying claim to our 26 hectare land in Dhaula Tappar.”
She found it strange that in all these years, Himachal officials took no notice of their land and “all of a sudden when they sensed our area has huge potential of mining just across the river, they raked up this controversy.”
She said Uttarakhand Forest Department is looking into old documents to substantiate its ownership of the land. Until that, the bitter battle between both sides is waging on in fullscale. “Their first miner paid the penalty and admitted the error of trespassing into our territory when I served him notice for illegal mining. Now the second miner, who is politically well connected, has not only booked me in a police case but dragged me in Shimla High Court for interfering in mining activities carried out by him and, has demanded compensation of
two Crore rupees for incurring business losses.”
She said the opponent booked her directly in the case which means even if she gets transferred to another place, she will have to go to Shimla to attend to the case till its conclusion. Turning tables, she said, she too served three notices on the miner, following a procedure before starting court proceeding against him in Uttarakhand.
PK Patro, chief conservator of forest in Uttarakhand said he has written a letter to the head of forest force (HOFF) and secretary, forest department in Uttarakhand urging them to resolve this boundary issue with Himachal Pradesh.
He is full of accolades for her. “The river is continuously changing its course, which has created a border dispute with Himachal Pradesh. The matter is getting complicated, however, our range officer Pooja Rawal is firmly dealing with miners.”
Pooja has also won the hearts of many locals who are unhappy with mines as they create air and noise pollution in their region and, they are meddling with riverine ecology.
Ravinder Chauhan, a resident of Sattiwala village, situated close to the disputed mining area, said, “Pooja Rawal is fighting with miners and their supporting lobby in Himachal Pradesh single-handedly. No other official is seen on the ground locking horns with them. She has been facing threats and court cases that can shake even powerful people but she is standing tall doing her duties with conviction. “
Chauhan is also an environmental activist who moved National Green Tribunal and also Supreme Court against alleged illegal mining in Dhaula Thappar.” The hearing in SC is yet to start as due to COVID, the apex court is taking only very important matters,” he said.
He did not rule out the connivance of the miner lobby with politicians in both the states, due to which the former is openly flouting the regulations and damaging the river ecology.
“This miner is trying to make the most of the given situation. He is carrying out mining even at night time with JCB which is straightway violating the provision of Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines 2016. Many deep ditches ranging 10 to 15 ft have been made at the river banks to extract maximum sand and gravel,” Rawal said adding that it is extremely painful to see it all helplessly as Shimla High Court has directed Uttarakhand not to interfere in the mining activity at the site.
These relentless skirmishes have taken a toll on Rawal's mental peace. "It is my husband, Manoj Rawal, a government official who propelled me to study for competitive exams to become a forest range officer. I have two small children who are looked after by him and my mother-in-law. So it is with their support, I can do justice to my profession,” said Rawal.
She laughed as to how the idealistic image of forest and wildlife conservation gets blurred with her real-life experience of her job with a series of challenges including manipulation, power play, vengeance, threats and looting of natural resources.
Undeterred she said learning of her first posting had pumped up her confidence o take on any challenge during the rest of her professional journey.