Bhubaneswar: Voicing concern over steep rise in elephant deaths in the state, Odisha’s Forest department has sought detailed reports on the performance of the special squads deployed for the protection and conservation of wildlife.
Taking a serious note of the spurt in jumbo deaths, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) (Wildlife) has issued letters to all Regional Chief Conservator of Forests seeking details.
The communication was sent by the PCCF (Wildlife) barely a week after Ramu, a tusker, was found dead inside Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Noting that as many as 397 squads are deployed in different forest divisions for protection and conservation of wildlife, the PCCF said despite the significant manpower at the disposal of
Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), which has nearly become a supplementary arm of the department, there have been over 40 elephant deaths in the current fiscal year.
The letter pointed out that no action has been initiated nor the performance of the squads reviewed and reported to the PCCF’s office.
The letter also noted that while the services of these squads are crucial, the leadership and standard operating procedures (SOPs) necessary for their effective operation in the field—whether tracking elephants or conducting protection activities—have been lacking.
This has led to a sense of permanency, resulting in neither effective patrolling and protection of wildlife and their habitats nor any disciplinary actions against squad members.
To address this issue, the Wildlife Wing has reallocated squads from various programs and schemes to different divisions within their Circle for effective deployment and field patrolling. The letter advises not to dismiss any performing squad members, provided they meet field requirements and are sourced exclusively from an Outsourced Agency.
Regional CCFs have been urged to mobilise squads from neighbouring divisions as needed, based on field situations, to ensure their effective use and the protection of wildlife.
The letter gave instructions for the distribution of squad allocations among the divisions and immediate communication of this distribution to the PCCF’s office for the allocation of funds.
