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Tight security for tiger reserves sought

Special Correspondent

Deployment of squads of ex-army men mooted

JAIPUR: The managers of the country’s tiger reserves want the forthcoming meeting of the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) to take up the issue of disturbances created in the nature parks and protected areas by extremist elements. They have recommended deployment of anti-poaching squads of ex-army personnel and patrolling parties of home guards and local work force on an urgent basis to the affected areas to complement the efforts of the frontline staff.

The recent meeting of the Field Directors of Tiger States at Ranthambhore in Rajasthan in its recommendation has named Nagarguna Sagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh, Manas in Assam, Palamau in Jharkhand, Indravati in Chattisgarh and Simlipal in Orissa as the tiger reserves affected by extremist-engineered disturbances.

“The situation warrants a concerted plan of action involving the Government as well as non-government agencies,” the filed directors of 28 Project Tiger reserves in the country said in a resolution. Union Ministers of State for Forest and Environment Namonarain Meena and S.Raghupathy also addressed the two-day meeting held from June 27 in the vicinity of Ranthambhore National Park in Sawai Madhopur district.

The top bureaucracy, who manages the country’s reserves—now perhaps the last refuge of the fast vanishing big cats—was equally desperate talking about the acute shortage of personnel. The absence of any fresh recruitment for the past many years has left many of the reserves with staff too aged for any active field posting, they said.

“It is also pertinent to consider the fact that due to ban on staff recruitment in many States there are considerable field staff vacancies apart from ageing of such personnel in the field formations, making the enforcement less effective,” the deliberations noted. They mentioned Namdhapa as among one of the tiger reserves where there is a big gap between sanctioned posts and actual requirement. “All tiger bearing States should immediately take up the recruitment drive,” the participants asserted.

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