A central government employee who became ill during the corona period and was permanently disabled in an accident caused by stress has been held without pay for nearly 22 months. He was brought to justice from Nagpur to Delhi, and from the Prime Minister to the President. However, after receiving no response from anywhere, this employee of the Indian Forest Survey Department has finally announced his intention to commit suicide.
Kumar Kalbande has spent 13 years as a Junior Technical Assistant at the Forest Survey of India Nagpur Regional Office, which is part of the Union Department of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. Kalbande’s other duties included conducting a forest cover census for the state of Gujarat, training forest officers, and maintaining the office library. During the corona period, he became infected with the corona while performing duties elsewhere. The doctor advised him to take a two-month break. In the meantime, the Regional Director of the Forest Survey Office Bahera has stopped paying him. Following Kalbande’s request to the Director General, he directed Bahera to pay Kalbande’s wages.
Bahera began harassing Kalbande in some way as he complained about his wages. Some women in the office falsely accused him of sexual harassment. An inquiry committee was formed to look into the matter, but the report was not released for over a year. Kalbande, meanwhile, was transferred to Kolkata. However, no letter of transfer was provided to go there. When he arrived at the Nagpur office, he was denied entry. During his pursuit of justice, Kalbande was involved in an accident that left him permanently disabled. In this regard, he contacted Baghera, the Regional Director of the Forest Survey of India, but he also did not respond.
Kalbande said that there is no justice even by going round from Nagpur to Delhi. The wages were halted during the corona period, which has yet to begin. I am not permitted to come to work. Resignation is not accepted either. As a result, there is a severe financial crisis, and mental health has deteriorated. Even now, if justice is not served, the only option is to commit suicide.