West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on 14 July announced that fresh recruitment for the state's forest department — including forest guards and Bana Sahayaks (Forest Assistants) — will henceforth be conducted through the West Bengal Police Recruitment Board. The decision, described as in-principle, is aimed at ensuring a transparent and corruption-free hiring process in a department that has faced persistent allegations of irregularities.

The Decision and Its Rationale

Chief Minister Adhikari made the announcement on the sidelines of the inauguration of Aranya Saptaha (Forest Week), which commenced on Tuesday, 14 July and runs until 20 July. He said routing recruitment through the Police Recruitment Board would eliminate scope for malpractice by placing appointments under a more structured, arms-length mechanism.

A state forest department official said the move would bring the employment process under a framework designed to prevent irregularities — an acknowledgement that the existing system had structural vulnerabilities.

A History of Alleged Irregularities

The announcement carries significant political context. During the previous government led by Mamata Banerjee, forest department recruitments — particularly for Bana Sahayaks — faced allegations of irregularities across two ministerial tenures: that of Rajib Banerjee (2018–2021) and Jyotipriya Mallick (2011–2023). Bana Sahayaks are contractual and temporary workers engaged in forest patrol, tree plantation, and wildlife protection activities.

The new government's decision to shift oversight to the Police Recruitment Board is a direct response to these concerns, and signals an intent to distance the hiring process from departmental discretion.

Staff Shortages and Infrastructure Gaps

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Adhikari also flagged deeper systemic challenges within the forest department. 'There are many employees in the state forest department who work at great risk. They lack many things. There is a staff shortage. There is a lack of infrastructure. These employees have to operate with such deficiencies,' he said.

He added that he has directed state Forest Minister Manoj Oraon to submit details of vacancies and infrastructure requirements to the Chief Secretary, with the stated aim of filling vacant posts at the earliest opportunity.

Development-Environment Balance and New Project Rules

In his address at the Aranya Saptaha inaugural function, Adhikari also underscored the government's commitment to balancing industrial development with environmental protection. He announced that the new government would strictly enforce an existing regulation requiring that for any project approval, two-thirds of the total project area must be designated for essential infrastructure, with the remaining one-third allocated for plantations.

This signals a firmer implementation stance on green norms that critics say were loosely enforced in previous years. With the recruitment overhaul and the renewed push on environmental compliance, the Adhikari government is positioning forest governance as an early priority of its tenure.