National Tiger Conservation Authority Member Secretary Rajesh Gopal will be arriving at Moradabad on Friday. Chief Conservation Forest Moradabad Kamlesh Kumar while talking to "The Pioneer" on Thursday said that the the NTCA Member Secretary Rajesh Gopal will be at Moradabad to discuss the strategy that the NTCA has formulated for the capture of the tigress which has been on the prowl since the past three months. Kumar also admitted that there has been so sighting and no killing by the tigress since the last killing on Feburary 6.
It may be recalled that the member secretary had taken a meeting of the Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand officials at Kalagarh on Sunday where he had suggested the increase in the density of the camera traps to capture the tiger. Chief Conservator Moradabad Kamlesh Kumar said , "The NTCA had formulated a strategy for the capturing the tigress which they will discuss with the forest officials. The Member Secretary had held a closed door meeting at Kalagarh however this will be an open meeting. The Member Secretary had taken all the relevant documents related to the tigress operation on his last visit and has formulated the strategy" said Kumar. He said that as per the instructions of the Member Secretary during his last visit the number of camera traps were being increased.
On being asked why the NTCA was formulating a strategy for the tigress operations when on the ground level already operations were going on, the Chief Conservator said that the NTCA was in the best position to direct both the states. "It is placed in a best position to direct both the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand. The members of NTCA are forest officials from across the country who can advice on the operations that are being carried out" said Kamlesh.
When asked if the intensity of the operations will continue to be intense now that there had been a lull in the tigress appearance, the Chief Conservator said that the operations will be carried out with the same intensity to monitor the situation " The intensity of the operations will continue because one has to monitor the situation. In addition we will get a data bank of the area" he added. The forest official said that there has been no sighting of the tigress and no killing. " The operations are going on in the region and there has been no sighting of the tigress or any kill reported" he added.