Women forest rangers being trained in TN for the first time

They are the first batch at TNFA after the State took over the academy.

Trainees of Tamil Nadu Forest Academy in Coimbatore district during the Ranger Induction Course.

For the first time since the Tamil Nadu Forest Service was established, women candidates are being trained for the post Forest Rangers.

While there have been women officers in the service in the higher ranks, the 12 women recruited through Tamil Nadu Public Services Commission, are going to become the first Forest Rangers. Totally, 77 rangers were selected in this batch.

Of these, five are undergoing training at Telangana with the remaining seven at the century-old Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA) in Coimbatore.

Added to this distinction, Academy director Rajiv K. Srivastava says these women are part of the first batch to undergo ‘Ranger Induction Course’ at the TNFA after it came back to the Tamil Nadu government control.

Established by British

Originally known as Southern Forest Rangers College, it was established in 1912 by the British. It was taken over by the Central government from Madras Presidency after Independence.

However, it came back to the State government in 1990. The course has also been revived now after a gap of decades.

The 18-month course, which began on April 22, has 50 modules. It will train rangers in advanced aspects of forest management, bio-diversity conservation, climate change and tribal development. Subjects such as Silviculture (practice of controlling the health and quality of forests), forest policy and law besides forest economics and accounts would also be dealt with.

Further, the cadets will also be trained in handling weapons, swimming and jungle warfare besides deployment of surveillance technology besides yoga.

The director says major emphasis will also be placed on man-animal conflict, a major issue in forest-adjoining districts such as Coimbatore.

Spread across 165 acres, the Academy was initially called ‘Madras Forest College’ and has a rich history. It was once used to house World War II evacuees from as far away as Greece, Malta and Burma.

The college moved to its present building in 1915. Its red-brick finish represented the Indo-Saracenic architecture, he adds.

They are in the first Rangers batch at TNFA after the State took over the academy