Baripada: Amid cease-work by Forest department personnel, over frequent attacks by poachers in Similipal Tiger Reserve, police personnel will be patrolling the forest area. According to reports, 30 police personnel have been mobilised to different sectors of the forest on Monday morning. Three more platoons of the police force will be deployed shortly, officials said.
STR RCCF, Prakash Chand Gogineni said, “Around 600 protection assistants with various demands are refraining from work. Forest staff are also not turning up, so, I requested the SP to sanction some police personnel to guard the forest.”
“The SP approved 30 police personnel from Jashipur and Udala police stations and they are already mobilized in the critical areas of Similipal forest. That is not all. We need more personnel on the field,” he said.
Members of the Odisha non-gazetted forest services association have launched a symbolic protest against the killing of forester Mati Hansda, who was shot dead by poachers on June 16 night in Karanjia of Mayurbhanj district. As part of their protest, the Forest Department officials will be on duty, however, they will refrain from patrolling. The symbolic protest will continue till July 8.
A Forester Mati Hansda was shot dead by poachers in Karanjia recently. Mati’s murder was the second such killing in Similipal in the past two months. Earlier in the month of May, a 35-year-old forest guard was shot dead by a group of poachers.
