Jan. 3: The much- awaited Tiger Protection Force (TPF), formed under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which will be deployed at Tiger Reserves in the State, is suffering from a financial crunch. By mid-2011, around 50 members of the TPF will be deployed in Nagarhole and Bandipur Tiger Reserves and in the next few months, the officers recruited under the new Force will be given weapons training.
Senior forest officials say that the Force will swing into action by June this year, provided the Central government releases funds on time. “We are awaiting the Centre’s funds for purchasing weapons for the recruited officers, who will soon be ready to be deployed.
The weapons training will be organized with the help of the Karnataka Police and the officers will be put on the job in the Tiger Reserves,” said a senior officer. According to forest officials, even before the first batch of TPF can complete its nine-month training, 20 guards and four foresters have withdrawn their applications.
At present, 44 guards and 14 foresters are undergoing training. The officials are now hoping for an early release of funds so that the weapons and communication command centre inside the Protected Areas (PAs) can be established.
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