Forest staff to be increased to protect big cats in Karnataka

BENGALURU: The increasing number of tigers in Karnataka’s forests and the related call for focus on meeting conservation challenges have woken up the state government.

A day after TOI highlighted the shortage of forest guards and other frontline staff in tiger reserves, forest minister B Ramanath Rai on Friday promised to speed up recruitment of staff and enhance benefits for them. He said of the 1300-odd vacancies of staff, including forest guards and foresters, about 500 will be filled up this year and the rest by next year-end.

“The recruitment wing is already conducting exams for various posts and placements will be done soon. We’re taking steps to fill posts of Range Forest Officers (110), Deputy Range Forest officers (113), forest guards (329) and forest watchers (282),” he added.

TOI had on January 22 highlighted how filling up of existing vacancies and recruitment of additional staff were crucial to man the woods.

The forest minister also said he has taken steps to ensure that frontline staff are not transferred for at least five years from a forest division and they’ll get special monthly allowance. “The rise in number of tigers, from 209 in 2006 to 406 as per the recent census, is mainly due to the conservation efforts of frontline staff. Habitat improvement programmes, strict patrolling, anti-depredation camps in sensitive zones and rapid response teams helped increase tiger numbers,” he added.

Asked about steps to mitigate human-animal conflict, the minister said rail-track fencing for forest borders, which has started in Bandipur-Nagarhole-BRT tiger reserve, will be speeded up and expanded as the government has sanctioned Rs 213 crore for it. “We’ll also take up awareness programmes and ensure disturbance in tiger corridors is reduced,” he added.

Kudremukh tiger reserve:

On the move to declare Kudremukh the sixth tiger reserve for the state, the minister said the state government is yet to take a call on it. “The central government has given its go-ahead for the project. But there’s opposition from local population who fear displacement and other issues. We’ll take a call after discussions with stakeholders,” he added. Asked about hundreds of families yet to vacate from protected areas, he said efforts are on to convince them and in some reserves there have been good results.