BENGALURU: The state forest department has launched a unique initiative, Gasthu, a mobile app for monitoring vehicular movement in Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR) for prevention of wildlife road kills in this pristine habitat. With many public roads criss-crossing the 815 sqkm reserve and increasing traffic, the need for such a monitoring device was necessitated, said wildlife officials .
Gasthu’ is a mobile-based vehicle monitoring app wherein the forest staff collects a few basic details at the entry check post of KTR and allow the vehicles to pass on to the next one. The data collected is stored in the cloud while the exit check post gets an alert about the expected arrival time of that vehicle. If the vehicle arrives at the next point within the specified time, the forest staff will just record and allow the vehicle to pass through. But if it arrives before time, the gatekeeper can warn him and book them for speed violations.
Explaining the working of this app, former KTR Director Srinivasulu, who launched this project said, “If the vehicle is delayed beyond the expected time, the forest staff can stop and question the reasons for delay. The perception that a vehicle is under surveillance will act as a huge deterrent. In road kills, earlier, it was difficult to zero in on a particular vehicle despite having passed an incident area. But now, with data on our fingertips, we can easily identify the vehicle at the accident spot and catch the offenders.”
Welcoming the initiative, wildlife conservationist Ravi Shankar said, “Gasthu, if properly used, will save animals from being killed by overspeeding vehicles on both state and other public roads. But it should be used for protection of animals and not just for tracking poachers or smugglers. With good planning, implementation and expanding it to all check posts, it will definitely help tackle road kills inside the reserve.”
Srinivasulu adds, “This app was tested on 2G and is run as a pilot project. After its success, it has been implemented for the first time in a tiger reserve. Once the staff get used to it, it will be extended to other four check posts. However, the most important aspect is, public should know that every vehicle that enters the tiger reserve is under surveillance and is being monitored for violations.”
The Gasthu app works on a simple operating procedure with the office dashboard automatically collecting data -- in fact, popping up vehicle numbers that are delayed or violated speed norms or did not pass through exit points at the right time. The park management hopes to closely monitor and take suitable action with Gasthu in the coming days.