Jan. 23: Tigers roaming in the dense forests of Karnataka will get watchdogs for their protection round-the-clock soon. The much awaited 112-member Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF), is likely to take guard in another five months, and become the first full-fledged STPF to be rolled out in India.
The State Forest Department has speeded up the training, after receiving a pat on the back from the Central government, which accorded tiger reserve status to Biligiriranga Wildlife Sanctuary (BRT). With this addition, flora-fauna rich Karnataka, has the highest number of tiger reserves in South India, and is next only to Madhya Pradesh in the country.
The forest department has decided to extend the purview of STPF to BRT. Initially, the plan was to test the STPF in Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves, which are one of the sensitive and pristine forest covers in India today, and later extend it to other tiger reserves like Bhadra and Dandeli Anshi.
Ravishankar, DCF (Wildlife), BRT, told the Deccan Chronicle that STPF was currently undergoing training at six forest guard training schools, and would later get three-month special training from the state police department, and central paramilitary forces, based on a syllabus for skill development, to combat poaching, and to enable intelligence-based enforcement in a forest terrain.
He added, “The office of STPF would come up in Gundlupet taluk in Chamarajanagar, which is the strategic point to access all three reserves BRT, Bandipur, and Nagarhole”.
Top official sources said that National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) would set up its regional office in Bengaluru in about a month, further boosting the conservation efforts of the department.
On the other hand, the 112-member STPF has no one from the region, though the plan was to have a mix of forest guards and local tribes. Sources said that tribals were not interested in the job despite offer of healthy salaries, and the majority were upset with the department over rehabilitation. People from Belgaum, Gulbarga, and Bijapur, who have no familiarity with forest terrain, are in the STPF.
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