He passed his time wandering in the forest
She was the only woman among 203 in the batch
“Trees save from river erosion and storms. So the people of Barisal have a special attraction towards plants. Nature is very dear to us. From that place the thought was whether something could be done or not. I applied for the post of forest guard from this idea. I got a chance. After entering the service, I found out that I am the first woman in this position,” said Dilruba Milli.
Milli is the country’s first woman forest guard working at Mirpur’s National Botanical Gardens. He joined the forest department in 2016.
Milli said that while training in Rajshahi, she faced a rare experience. He was not allowed to enter the training center.
“The first time I entered the gate, the security guards said, ‘Girls don’t do this job. You go.’ After showing the paper, they were surprised and cooperated.”
Recruitment of 203 people, the only woman is Milli
School, college and university studies are over. Milly was thinking of doing something at home. It was around 2016 that he saw the employment notice of forest guard. applied Still had no idea what kind of experience was waiting ahead.
Milli said, “After completing the examination and training for the post of forest guard, I took training from the police academy in Rajshahi. “I had to face several obstacles in the examination and training. Because there was no woman in this profession before. As a woman I train alone. As a result, we had to work through adverse conditions.”
Milli also said, “203 forest guards are recruited in the service. I was appointed as the only woman. The senior officers have been very supportive throughout the process.”
Milli joined Dhaka as a forest guard in 2016 after training. Since then he has been working as a forest guard in the National Botanical Garden.
The day was spent walking in the forest
As a forest guard, Millie has to spend the whole day roaming around the park. In the beginning he got some momentum but now he enjoys it.
He said, “I go to the forest in the morning and finish my official work. Then the wandering began. After receiving the responsibility, restoring the security of the forest was a big challenge. Forest guards have been able to gift forests free from looting and harassment.”
Chirping of birds in the forest, crowd of people. Sometimes loud, sometimes quiet. Milly is used to these now. If he can’t walk for a day, he gets short of breath. The forest is now another home for him.
Said, “This profession is very enjoyable for me.”
Milli is popular in botanical gardens
The challenge as a woman forest guard was to adapt to the workplace. Mili is also very popular there.
He has a very sincere relationship with everyone, including other forest guards and gardeners. A lot of time can be spent exchanging skills with employees in charge of various points or employees of other departments.
Aminullah Khandkar is working with Milli as a forest guard.
He said, “Millie is our only female forest guard. He is very brave. You can take any decision with the safety of the forest. Treat us well too. Many of us enjoy working together because of his demeanor.”
Colleague Ekhlasur Rahman, Mamunur Rashid and many others said the same thing.
According to Milli, “There are many challenges in the work of a forest guard. But women are capable of facing these challenges. The country’s first woman forest guard also feels that it can be a good career for challenging women.”
