Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said that the Government will raise a Rhino Protection Force with more than 1,200-strong personnel, particularly for the protection of rhinos. Gogoi, who came under severe criticism in last few years over the issue of unabated rhino poaching, has also announced that Chief Minister’s Gallantry Award would be instituted for the security guards for providing anti-poaching exemplary services.

The Chief Minister said this on Friday after attending a review meeting on the anti-poaching measures and other related issues at Kohora Range of the Kaziranga National Park. Gogoi further said that the Government had already sent a proposal to the Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in this regard and that the force will take shape very soon.

The Chief Minister’s announcement, however, came less than two years after the Assam Government has raised the Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) and armed its cadres with sophisticated weapons in 2012. The poaching of rhinos had, however, continued in the protected areas of Assam and more so in Kaziranga despite the fact that about 600 guards have been personnel are deployed in the park including over 400 personnel of the AFPF.

While the poachers have killed five rhinos in Assam since beginning this year, the poachers have killed a total of 193 one-horned rhinos in Assam since 2001 till last year. Gogoi lauded the efforts of the field staff in protection of Kaziranga and said that modern technology will be vigorously used to curb the menace of poaching. For up scaling anti-poaching infrastructure, high end equipment such as night vision devices, thermal scanners, surveillance cameras, GPS etc. to be deployed at the earliest, the Chief Minister announced. The Chief Minister assured that fund would not be a constraint for protection of the rhino.

Gogoi also directed the district administration to sanitise the bordering areas adjoining the Kaziranga National Park by deploying young and energetic commando force. He said that the Government would provide modern arms and fighting gears to the front line forest guards in Kaziranga, by amending the existing provisions of law.

He also assured to take up the matter of UAV flying in Kaziranga National Park with the Ministry of Defence and the DG, Civil Aviation.