As part of measures aimed at preventing wildlife poaching and smuggling of wildlife contraband, the forest department has already submitted various proposals to the State administration. Apart from the proposal submitted earlier to the department head for creation of a proper operational anti-poaching cell, one of the proposals submitted for approval to the State administration is regarding authorising state forest department officers to secure mobile phone call details of wildlife poachers, in addition to which filling up the vacant field-level posts in the department is also proposed to be taken up as a priority campaign, said State forest and wildlife minister Dinesh Aggarwal. He was briefing the media after chairing a meeting with department officials in a week that has seen the authorities nabbing three persons in two separate cases with a total of six Himalayan black bear gall bladders. The officials State that the bear gall bladders seizures are a result of efforts being undertaken by the department to strengthen its intelligence network and other aspects to control wildlife crime.
However, observers question the accuracy of departmental claims during a period which has also seen discovery of an elephant skeleton believed to be about six months old in the Haridwar forest division and a cow elephant aged about 37 years being electrocuted to death in the Rajaji tiger reserve in a purported mishap.
Addressing the media, Aggarwal said that in the meeting with senior officials, it was stated that the department is already in constant touch with wildlife related voluntary organisations like TRAFFIC India and the Wildlife Protection Society of Indian (WPSI) among others for sharing intelligence and coordinating efforts against wildlife crime. A meeting is held once every six months in which all the governmental and non-Governmental organisations linked to wildlife crime meet under the aegis of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to discuss and plan improved coordinated action for wildlife protection. This year, one such meeting was held during February in Almora and then during July in Dehradun. Department officials are also in touch with the police department and are reportedly in the process of giving final touches to the standard operating procedure for joint action against wildlife crime by the forest department and police. Special instructions are also issued to forest officials in the field during periods of the year known to be sensitive from the view point of wildlife crime. A monthly report is sought from the divisional forest officers regarding suspect activities in their respective areas. It was further stated that the long-distance patrolling undertaken by forest department field staff to remote areas will be intensified. The department is also maintaining a special surveillance on those traditionally associated with poaching like seasoned poachers and residents of Sapera Basti, members of the Kanjad and Bawaria communities. Special training programmes were held for local staff with the assistance of voluntary organisations in Chilla, Chunakhan and Nandhaur for capacity building against wildlife crime. The department aims to maximise the number of such trained personnel which is also expected to boost the local intelligence network. The minister further informed that the department had already submitted various proposals like the one submitted to the State administration for appointment of wildlife warden in forest divisions considered sensitive from the view point of wildlife security. The principal Chief conservator of forests had during October 2016 submitted a proposal to the state administration for creation of wildlife intelligence, anti-poaching and wildlife training organisation cell which also includes provision of two posts each of the level of conservator of forests and divisional level along with eight assistant conservator of forests-level. The PCCF, wildlife, had earlier submitted a proposal to the PCCF and administration for facilitating an effective anti-poaching cell which would entail creation of five wildlife circles/zones in the state. An ACF level officer is proposed to head each of these wildlife circles with their whole task being focused on intelligence gathering and control of wildlife crime.
The department has also submitted a proposal to the administration to authorise forest officers to secure mobile phone call details of wildlife criminals to improve surveillance on them.
Apart from this, in order to further sensitise officials of the state judicial system, training programmes would be held for them at the Wildlife Institute of India and the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), added Aggarwal.