Change in rules for physical tests

Almost a year after a man died and seven were hospitalised after collapsing during a 25-km run that was an endurance test for youngsters aspiring to be hired as forest guards,the Maharashtra Forest Department has tweaked the rule for physical tests for these Class IV posts.

Almost a year after a man died and seven were hospitalised after collapsing during a 25-km run that was an endurance test for youngsters aspiring to be hired as forest guards,the Maharashtra Forest Department has tweaked the rule for physical tests for these Class IV posts. Now,aspirants to the 1,000-odd posts of forest guards that will be filled this year will have to walk 25 km and run a distance of 5 km.

That was an unfortunate incident, Minister for Forests Patangrao Kadam said in Mumbai on Tuesday. The rules regarding the physical test have now been adequately changed.

Last year,the state forest department announced that it was hiring for 1,175 posts of forest guards. An immediate flood of applicants followed. The physical criteria for recruitment was a 25-km run for men and a 14-km run for women. In September,eight of the several applicants in Yavatmal division who collapsed had to be hospitalised and one did not survive. Incidents of applicants collapsing midway during the physical test were reported from other divisions too. Not much later,senior Forest Department officials undertook a 25-km walk in the Tansa sanctuary to check their fitness levels.

The new qualification criteria also state that applicants should be Std XII pass,or Std X in case of tribal applicants. While there are 523 posts currently vacant for which advertisements will be released shortly,close to 500 more are to be hired this year,Kadam said.

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