The forest department of the State launched ‘Operation Kaliyasot’ on Thursday to capture and shift the tiger T-1 active in the vicinity of the State capital. Over 150 employees and labourers have been called from the different ranges of the Bhopal Forest Circle to trap the striped feline roaming in the Kerwa and Kaliyasot areas of Bhopal for about six months.
The team reached the Kerwa nursery on Thursday morning and after finalising its plan, entered the field to corner the tiger. Five teams comprising 10 members each have been formed and sent to Kerwa and Kaliyasot areas to drive away the big cat towards the trap. These expert teams would drive the tiger and once they succeed in cornering it, they would push it to a safe place where an earlier deployed team would catch it.
After catching the tiger, the forest department would shift it to either Satpura or Panna Tiger Reserve of the State.
Earlier on Tuesday, a meeting was called at wildlife headquarters to make a plan to catch and shift the tiger. It was decided in the meeting that within an hour of catching the striped feline, it would be shifted to Satpura or Panna Tiger Reserve of the State. This would be possible only if the tiger is tranquilised and caught.
Sources from the forest department informed that some officials opposed immediate shifting of the tiger but they were overlooked. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has also not given permission for the shifting of the tiger despite these preparations have been made to shift the beast. The 150 employees and labourers called to corner the tiger in the open area for the first time are not even trained for the job they have been called for. Moreover, most of them were even not aware about the issue. Most were shocked when they were apprised of the procedure they have to follow to corner the tiger.