Burhachapori (Assam), Mar 8 (PTI) As one approaches the gate of the Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) in Assam’s Sonitpur district, a young woman dressed in fatigues opens it and notes down the details of the visitor.
Once the entry is done to her satisfaction, she breaks into a smile and welcomes the visitor to the area she dearly protects.
The women forest guards on duty at the gate of the range office are among the nine women who had joined here in the same rank last year, along with four other women foresters in the office.
“It’s just another job for us. And a job, we are passionate about,” Rinkumoi Pegu said, in a matter-of-fact manner.
“We knew what we were enlisting for when we applied. And the training after selection has further helped us,” Pegu, who is among the four foresters at the range office, told PTI.
Forest guard Hiramoni Boro said, “We don’t face any issue at home regarding our work.” While Hiramoni is from Dhekaijuli in Sonitpur district, Pegu has come from Majuli.
Forester Chimpi Rajbongshi from neighbouring Nagaon and forest guard Mousumi Boro from Baksa district also speak along similar lines, although all of them acknowledge the hardships of an arduous job as a forest department field staffer.
Ranger officer SK Gupta is appreciative of the performance of the women staffers under him, saying, “We provide them with all the requisite facilities such as separate living areas and attached toilets. During induction, they were also informed of their rights as women workers.” “It has been nearly seven months since this batch of 13 women staffers joined us and there has been no issue. They are hard workers as any other staffer here,” Gupta added.
The Burhachapori WLS had women forest employees previously also, but it is perhaps the first time that so many of them have been posted together.
The forest department has been recruiting women in different roles over the years, including as frontline staffers, with the number of female employees increasing in the past few years.
“We have the same duty assigned as our male colleagues. We go out on patrolling, including on foot, for the entire day,” Rajbongshi said.
Other staffers, including their seniors, are mindful of issues they may face during the menstrual cycle, Hiramoni said, adding, “Our shifts are adjusted whenever we request during our monthly periods. Also, we are not tasked to stay at the remote camps due to lack of facilities.” “We are especially called in when women from fringe villages try to enter the protected area. In such circumstances, our gender works to our advantage as our male colleagues cannot confront the women the way we can,” Mousumi added.
One of the largest eviction drives in the state was carried out in Burhachapori WLS in February last year, during which the administration cleared 2,099 hectares of land within the protected area and nearby revenue villages, which affected around 12,800 people.
One person was killed and at least seven others, including three forest guards, were injured in a clash between alleged encroaches and forest staffers at the WLS in July when some people had purportedly tried to occupy land once again.
The women staffers, however, do not face any issue from the fringe villages, Pegu said, adding, “In fact, we have heard the villagers pointing at us and telling their children that they should also aspire to take up jobs like us.” Tourists also often come up to the women staffers and say they are inspired to see the young women working in such tough situations.
“For me, personally, it was memorable when Jadav Payeng visited here and encouraged us to keep on protecting the forests and the animals,” Pegu added.
Environmentalist Payeng is popularly called the ‘Forest Man of Assam’ for his efforts over the past several decades in transforming a barren sandbar of the Brahmaputra River into a forest of over 1,300 acres.
“We look forward to being able to discharge our duties as best as we can and are confident that our male colleagues and seniors will continue seeing us as equals in all aspects,” Mousumi added, as she hurried off to join a fellow women forest guard on their patrolling shift. PTI SSG ACD
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