212 Pilibhit forest watchers unpaid since Dec, dues reach Rs 1.2 crore

Pilibhit: A total of 212 daily-wage forest watchers in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve have not received wages since Dec last year, with unpaid dues reaching about Rs 1.2 crore by April 30, officials said. Records showed that the reserve had sought Rs 2.2 crore under its 2025-26 annual plan of operation (APO) to cover the workers’ yearly wages.The shortage has left the reserve dependent on pending funds even as the watchers, who form part of the field-level protection network, continued work on daily wages. Divisional forest officer Manish Singh said no funds were received from govt last year. “We cleared Rs 68 lakh of pending wages in December through the Tiger Conservation Foundation, but Rs 1.20 crore is still due,” he said.The workers were being paid Rs 9,634 a month, calculated on the basis of 26 days of work. Govt later revised the minimum wage for semi-skilled workers, the category under which forest watchers fall, to Rs 12,445 per month on March 25 and again to Rs 13,590 per month on April 17. Singh said the reserve was awaiting directions from the state forest administration on implementing the revised wage rates.