State to appoint 226 mahouts, ‘Patawalas’ on contract basis

alipurduar The state government has decided to appoint Mahouts (elephant keepers) and ‘Patawala’ (helpers who collect fodder for elephants and help with daily upkeep) on a contractual basis in North Bengal’s three national parks - Gorumara, Jaldapara, and Buxa Tiger Reserve, to look after the elephants under the Forest department.

The Forest department will employ a total of 226 mahouts and ‘Patawalas’ for 113 elephants. The Forest department has received approval from the Finance department for this employment thereby resolving a long-standing issue.Jyotipriya Mallick, the Forest minister, said: “Elephants, as well as their Mahouts and Patawalas play a crucial role in the conservation and protection of forests. The state government wants all stakeholders to be involved in this effort. The state Forest department has been considering appointing the daily-wage Mahouts and Patawala on a contractual basis. We have now got the nod from the Finance department. The Forest Department will complete the recruitment process as fast as possible.” Mahouts and ‘Patawalas’ at Jaldapara National Park had launched a protest, demanding that they be absorbed. They halted work from April 14 that included the elephant safari. Following the news of the decision to hand over contractual services, the agitating Mahouts and ‘Pataawalas’ halted their agitation.

Sharan Shaibo, a Mahout, expressed gratitude to the state government for the contractual jobs. Shaibo said; “We were receiving Rs 7240 from the Forest department as our payment. In case of contractual employment, the salary will be much higher.”

There are 113 elephants under the Forest department across Buxa Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara National Park, and Gorumara National Park. The animals are used for tourist safaris and patrolling the jungle. Jaldapara has 85 elephants, Gorumara 22 and Buxa six. Due to the agitation of the Mahouts and ‘Patawalas’ in Jaldapara, the work of forest protection was disrupted along with elephant safaris coming to a halt. Finally, with the green signal from the state finance department, the Forest department can now breathe a sigh of relief.