Corpus fund of Rs 5.50 cr created

Dehradun - A corpus fund of Rs 5.50 crore has been created for the conservation and protection of wildlife of Terai landscape including the Nainital forest division of the Kumaon region.

The corpus fund is a part of the royalty that the State Forest Development Corporation received from the exploitation of natural resources of the region, in the form of collection of riverbed materials by different private agencies and other related works.

As per the directions of the Government of India, the corpus fund had been setup much earlier. But the forest development corporation has now deposited Rs 5.50 crore in this fund.

We have received an amount of Rs 5.50 crore from the forest development corporation, confirmed PK Patro, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of the Terai-east forest division, while talking to The Pioneer. This amount would be utilised for the protection and conservation of the wildlife of Terai region comprising of all the five forest divisions of including Terai-East forest division, Terai-Central forest division, Terai-West forest division, the Ramnagar forest division and the Haldwani forest division. Even the Nainital forest division has been included in this plan, added the DFO.

When asked about what kind of protection measures, the Forest Department is going to take; Patro stated that our first priority is to increase the manpower so that maximum vigil could be done during emergency time.

Preferably, retired Army men would be appointed as watcher, to strengthen the patrolling and anti-poaching drive which will be launched time-to-time. Besides, as per the need, necessary equipments would also be purchased to put in place a strong wildlife protection mechanism for the wildlife of the Terai landscape.

In view of it is rich wildlife and natural resources, the Terai landscape has always been the prime target of the poachers. Its proximity with long and open international border with Nepal has only made this area more vulnerable.

As the wildlife experts have stated time and again that this long and porous international border has only become a safe heaven for the wildlife poachers, to run their poaching network internationally.

So the wildlife experts here believe that with the help of this corpus fund, necessary steps can be taken as and when required for the conservation and protection of the wild animals, particularly the endangered species from the poachers.