After Chief Secy and DGP, state might also have first woman forest head

Speculations are rife about Shomita Biswas becoming the head of the forest force in the state, being the seniormost IFS officer and the top contender for the position.

After a woman Director General of Police and Chief Secretary, speculations are rife that the state might soon have a woman officer as head of the forest force. The officer whose name is doing the rounds is Shomita Biswas, an Indian Forest Service officer of the 1988 batch. If things go as predicted, she is set to become the principal chief conservator of forest (head of forest force) towards the end of this month, when she will also become the seniormost IFS officer in the state.

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It is worth mentioning that in September 2023, another seniormost woman IFS officer, Sunita Singh, had lost the chance to head the forest force, as the state government chose Shailesh Tembhurnikar over her. She was superceded as the BJP, Shiv Sena led government wanted a son of the soil to head the department. She had moved the central administrative tribunal at that time, which, however, dismissed her original petition in January this year, around two months before her retirement in April, on two counts - one of these was her being on central deputation for 15 years.

IFS officer Shomita Biswas is the wife of retired IAS officer Samir Biswas and, like Singh, has also served at various posts in Delhi on central deputation. She returned to the state a few years back.

Her name is being speculated as three IFS officers, senior to her, are all retiring in July-August. Sources in the state forest department said that Shailesh Tembhurnikar, an IFS officer of 1987 batch, is retiring on July 31 as head of the forest force. Vikas Gupta (1988 batch), who is the head of the forest development corporation limited, will also retire on the same day, and the PCCF (wildlife) Maheep Gupta (1990 batch) will retire in August end.

The same sources said that another senior IFS officer Virendra Tiwari (1990 batch), is currently heading the Wildlife Insititute of India in Dehradun and is unlikely to return to the state. And there is no other IFS officer of this seniority level other than Biswas to make the cut.

Hence, speculations are rife that she might make it in the end. “There is very little possibility of the government appointing an IFS officer of the 1992 batch. Hence, in all probability, the state will have to appoint Biswas as head of the forest force, who is from the 1988 batch,’’ said a state forest department officer.

Biswas, however, was not available for comment, as she did not respond to calls and messages from HT.