Forest wing staff to ride on 'tigers'

Hundreds of roaring ‘Motorbike tigers’ are entering into the forests to chase the wood smugglers away from the forests.

The state government is giving 1,993 motor bikes with tiger symbol on its front to the field level staff that is Deputy FRO, FSO and Beat officers to keep the vigil on the illegal felling of trees and to control wood smuggling in the state. Telangana government is taking steps to strengthen the forest department.   

The motor bikes also have forest department emblem which reads ‘Telangana State Forest’ and ‘Save Forests and Save Nation’ on the engine side.

Scorpio and Innova to the DFOs and Mahindra Thar vehicles to FRO in the forest department will be provided too. Women staffer will be provided with Scootys.

However, no thought has been given by the government on supplying weapons to the forest staff in view of the increased Maoists movements in north Telangana.      

Efforts are being made, however, to extend all possible help to the families of forest staff attacked and killed by the wood smugglers and cases have been registered under PD Act against the wood smugglers.    

Minister for forest and environment Jogu Ramanna said that state government has sanctioned Rs 30 crore to purchase bikes, vehicles. He added that the state government will pay Rs 1,500 towards maintenance of each bike.

He said the move at improving vigilance in the forest areas and national highways and state roads to thwart wood smuggling and illegal felling of trees.

He elaborated that the state government has adopted a adopted multi- pronged strategy including mass plantation of saplings under Haritha Haram and steps to protect the existing forest by controlling the wood smuggling to enhance the forest area in the state.

To bolster confidence and efficiency of forest officials and field level staff involved in controlling wood smuggling, the state is equipping then with vehicles and advanced communication gadgets.

After police department, state government is now taking steps to strengthen the forest department by providing the vehicles to staff of all cadres and advance communication gadgets to control the wood smuggling and indiscriminate felling of trees in order to improve the forest cover.

The move was initiated after finding difficulty faced by field level staff and officials from the wood smugglers.