ITANAGAR, 30 Jul: The Arunachal Pradesh Trade Union Federation (APTUF) has temporarily deferred its peaceful dharna, which was scheduled for 1st August in all district divisional forest offices and at the premises of the PCCF office in Itanagar.
Following meetings held with the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), along with the All Arunachal Pradesh Forest Workers Union and APTUF, the decision was made to postpone the peaceful protest.
Addressing reporters at the Arunachal Press Club on Wednesday, APTUF secretary general Kenkar Yomcha stated that the dharna has not been called off, but only deferred for a month.
He mentioned that a meeting was held with the PCCF, during which it was assured that their concerns would be addressed through written communication.
Yomcha further said the union has given three months’ time for the PCCF to furnish the departmental promotion committee (DPC) report, adding that a mere written assurance from the PCCF regarding their demands would not be accepted.
On 29 July, the conservator of forests (planning & FDA), Millo Taser, issued an office memorandum stating that all pending salaries of staff under the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Corporation Limited had already been disbursed via authorization letter No. FOR.143/ACCT/2025/17,165-66 dated 15.05.2025.
The conservator also mentioned in a written statement that the promotion of contingency staff to the post of multi-tasking staff (MTS) could not be conducted due to missing details from various divisions. A final reminder has been decided to be sent to the concerned divisions.
Meanwhile, the PCCF office has decided to send a final reminder to the respective controlling officers, requesting clarification on underage appointments and discrepancies in dates of appointment within a week.
Failing this, the details submitted by the divisions will be treated as correct and final for the purpose of convening the DPC at the earliest-likely within the next 2-3 months, depending on scheduling availability, according to the PCCF’s statement.
The PCCF also noted, in an official statement regarding the Likabali issue raised by the federation, that the matter will be examined for appropriate administrative action.
In a separate statement, the APTUF, the apex trade union of the state, requested urgent and necessary action on the matter.
The union submitted a memorandum to the PCCF requesting the conduct of a DPC for the MTS posts.
Earlier, complaints had been raised by various forest corporation workers regarding non-receipt of monthly wages for four months, from April 2025 to date. However, on 29th July, the casual and contingency workers received their pending salaries, leading to the deferment of their planned dharna.
The union has also demanded the immediate transfer of divisional forest officer Bajum Taba and Ipu Ado, head assistant from Likabali, for alleged misuse of power.
