Dr C Suvarna, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Telangana, Retires on June 30

Dr C Suvarna, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) in Telangana, retires from service on June 30, 2026, upon attaining the age of superannuation. She is a 1991-batch Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer of the Telangana cadre.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF) is the senior-most position in a state's forest department, functioning as the head of the entire forest administration — including territorial forests, wildlife, and environment-linked functions. In Telangana, this office oversees a forest cover that spans approximately 24,000 square kilometres across multiple protected areas, reserve forests, and corridor zones. The HoFF coordinates between district-level forest officers, wildlife wardens, and the state government on matters ranging from encroachment control to green corridor maintenance.

Suvarna has served for over three decades in the Indian Forest Service, a career that spans the pre-bifurcation Andhra Pradesh and Telangana's post-2014 forest administration. Officers of her vintage navigated the administrative separation of forest departments between the two successor states — a process that involved the division of staff, territorial jurisdiction, and wildlife management responsibilities. Her role as HoFF placed her at the top of this structure at a time when Telangana has been expanding its forest regeneration and wildlife protection commitments. She holds a doctoral qualification, reflecting a background that combined administrative service with technical engagement in the forest sciences.

In the months leading up to her retirement, Suvarna's office has overseen the state's forest department operations through a period that includes Telangana's participation in national wildlife corridor preservation efforts and the management of human-wildlife conflict in areas adjoining the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve and Amrabad Tiger Reserve — two of the state's major protected wildlife zones.

With Suvarna's retirement, the Telangana government has moved quickly to address the resulting vacancy at the top of the forest hierarchy. In a parallel order, the government has entrusted Vinay Kumar, a 1992-batch IFoS officer and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, with the full additional charge of the PCCF (HoFF) post until a regular appointment is formalised.

The retirement of a 1991-batch officer marks the completion of a generational cycle in the Telangana forest service. The batch that entered the IFoS at the tail end of the 1990s now moves into positions of institutional seniority, with the next cohort — the 1992 batch — assuming the senior-most responsibilities. Managing this transition at the HoFF level, one of the most operationally critical positions in the state's environment machinery, requires a considered appointment rather than a prolonged additional charge arrangement.

Dr C Suvarna's retirement takes effect on June 30, 2026, completing 35 years of service in the Indian Forest Service across the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana cadres.