Ex-servicemen protest proposed shifting of Eco Task Force units

Pithoragarh: Ex-servicemen on Monday staged a protest against the proposed shifting of two of the four companies of the Ecological Task Force (ETF) from Pithoragarh to Aravalli region in Rajasthan. They demanded withdrawal of the order and submitted a memorandum to the district administration addressed to the Union environment ministry.Ex-soldiers and their family members gathered at the Ramlila Maidan and held a rally in the town before handing over the memorandum. They urged the ministry to cancel the proposed relocation.President of the ex-servicemen organisation, Mayukh Bhatt, said, "The Union environment ministry had directed that the two centrally funded companies be shifted to the Aravalli region before March 31. This would affect local employment as personnel are engaged for eight months a year at their native place." He added that shifting the companies would weaken environmental conservation efforts in the Himalayan region.While acknowledging the need to protect the Aravallis, protesters said safeguarding the fragile Himalayan ecosystem was equally important. Bhatt said the agitation would continue until the order was revoked."Around 450 ex-servicemen are employed across the four companies and retire at age 55. The battalion was created to protect and improve the Himalayan environment and it carried out plantation and conservation work over the past three decades," said Shyam Vishvkarma, a former junior commissioned officer of the ETF.The 130 Battalion of ETF was established in Pithoragarh in 1994 on the recommendation of then Army chief Gen B C Joshi, with two companies. In 2008, during the tenure of then chief minister B C Khanduri, two more companies were set up. At present, two companies are funded by the Centre and two by the state govt.