Baripada: A joint task force that has been formed to provide protection in the Similipal wildlife sanctuary in Mayurbhanj district is all set to kick off its operation from September 1, a report said Friday. The task force will strengthen the security cover around the sanctuary and prevent poaching of animals inside the sanctuary. A preparatory meeting was held Tuesday where threadbare discussions were made on roles and responsibilities of the task force. Task force chairman and regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF) Prakash Chand Gogineni presided over the meeting which was attended by district police SP B Gangadhar, deputy director Samrat Gouda of Similipal Tiger Conservation Project, STR, south division, officials of STR’s north division, Baripada DFO Santosh Joshi, his Karanjia and Rairangpur counterparts and ASP Umesh Kumar Panda. The participants prepared a blueprint to make the operation a success.
Notably, Similipal National Park (SNP) is the only wildlife sanctuary in state suitable for breeding of Royal Bengal Tigers owing to which the population of big cats has been increasing in the state. The wildlife sanctuary is also home to rare melanistic tigers for which the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is taking a host of measures in the state to increase the population of Royal Bengal Tigers and the rare melanistic tigers. The joint task force comprises three forest range officers, six foresters and 81 forest guards while 100 armed police constables and forest personnel will be deployed with them. The responsibility of the task force is to track the poachers and check the rampant poaching prevalent inside the sanctuary. The task force personnel will also verify the possession of illegal firearms and weapons among the locals living in the buffer and fringe areas of Similipal National Park. Efforts have already been launched to track the poachers and take stringent action against them.
Moreover, forest personnel will be provided training in firearms and will be deployed in the operation set to start next month. It is pertinent to mention that the task force was formed by the state government after two forest officials engaged in the protection of the sanctuary were shot dead by poachers. Wild animals like Royal Bengal Tigers, leopards and elephants are poached all around the year in the sanctuary. Despite their engagement in the sanctuary, forest officials have failed to protect the animals including those on the verge of extinction. They have also failed to check the illegal intrusion of poachers inside the sanctuary. Concerned over the development, the state government has formed a joint task force to strengthen the security cover of the sanctuary.
