TAUSEEF AHMAD
SRINAGAR, Jan 21: As Jammu and Kashmir witnesses an unusually dry winter marked by scant snowfall and prolonged dry spells, the region’s frontline forest guards—tasked with safeguarding its vast and fragile forest cover—say they are being pushed into life-threatening situations on an almost daily basis, without adequate protection, fair wages or institutional support.
Forest guards, who are often the first and only responders to forest fires in remote areas, say the number of fire incidents has surged this season, forcing them to venture deep into hazardous terrain armed with little more than wooden sticks and basic tools. They allege that despite the extreme risks involved, they are neither provided modern firefighting gear nor granted any risk allowance or insurance cover commensurate with the dangers they face.
“We are entering fire zones every day. Many of us go with nothing more than sticks. There is no modern fire gear, no risk allowance and no proper insurance cover,” said a forest guard posted in north Kashmir, speaking to Kashmir Despatch. He said that while most people are asleep at night, forest guards trek across steep mountains and dense forests to locate fires and prevent them from spreading, often without protective clothing, breathing equipment or communication tools.
The guard said that every night patrol carries the fear of sudden stone-slides, unpredictable wind shifts, wildlife attacks or getting trapped by flames. “One mistake, one misstep, and it can cost a life,” he said, adding that the risks have multiplied with changing climate patterns and prolonged dry conditions.
Adding to their sense of neglect is the issue of stagnant pay. Forest guards and foresters point out that while employees of other departments have benefited from successive 6th and 7th Pay Commission revisions, their own salaries have remained virtually unchanged for nearly a decade. “We are still drawing the same salaries we were paid years ago, even though our responsibilities and risks have increased manifold,” said a staff representative.
According to the guards, their demands for pay revision and safety measures have been raised repeatedly over the years, but without any concrete outcome. “When a forest guard dies in the line of duty, the family is left on its own. There is no structured relief, no long-term support, and no sense of dignity,” the representative said, appealing to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Forest Minister Javed Rana to take urgent notice of their plight.
The risks faced by forest guards are not hypothetical. Official records and departmental data reveal that nearly 130 forest guards have lost their lives on duty in Jammu and Kashmir over the years, while many others have suffered serious injuries due to forest fires, stone-slides, wildlife attacks and violent encounters with timber smugglers.
Recent incidents have further exposed the vulnerability of frontline forest staff. In December 2025, forest guard Gull Mohammad Shah lost his life while battling a forest fire in Anantnag. In May the same year, 44-year-old Shameem Ahmad Mir drowned in Nallah Sindh during official duty in Ganderbal. Another guard, Mohd Iqbal Zargar, was killed in a stone-slide near Gaadi Nallah in Doda on December 29, 2025.
Forest guards say that despite these recurring tragedies, their working conditions remain unchanged. They perform round-the-clock duties in some of the most inaccessible parts of the Union Territory, often without weekly offs. Their responsibilities range from firefighting and night patrolling to preventing illicit timber smuggling, initiating legal action under forest laws, carrying out plantation work, managing eco-tourism activities and maintaining constant interaction with local communities.
“Our duty begins where the road ends,” said one guard. “We patrol forests at night, fight fires on steep slopes, confront smugglers and face wild animals so that forests can survive.”
Despite the nature and scale of their work, forest guards in Jammu and Kashmir continue to remain in Pay Level-2, while several other grassroots cadres with comparable duties have been upgraded. The growing gap, they say, reflects institutional apathy toward those tasked with protecting the region’s “green gold.”
The severity of the forest fire situation was acknowledged earlier by Forest Minister Javed Rana, who informed the Legislative Assembly that around 1,243 forest fire incidents were reported during the 2024–25 financial year. In 2025 alone, nearly 350 forest fires were recorded, affecting approximately 880 hectares of forest land across Jammu and Kashmir.
For the guards on the ground, these numbers translate into sleepless nights, constant danger and the looming fear of death without security for their families. “We go out every day knowing we may not return,” said another forest guard. “Yet our families have no insurance, no assurance and no dignity if we die. If the government truly values forests, it must value the people who stand between flames and irreversible destruction.”
