BENGALURU: Noted forest officer and the man responsible for the greenery Bengalureans enjoy today, S G Neginhal, has died of COVID-19 at the age of 92.
He was responsible for launching Project Tiger in Karnataka in 1973. He oversaw the planting of around 1.5 million trees in Bengaluru over a span of five years and was very keen on social forestry.
He always taught young recruits that being a forest official is a very noble profession as by planting a tree, you are not just greening an area, but supplying oxygen, giving home to birds, insects, fruits, shade and rich biodiversity to all species.
Survived by one son and four daughters, his dedication serves as an inspiration for all forest officials to follow.
Some retired forest officials recollect that in the 1970s, Neginhal had coined the term 'tiger reserve'. It was incorporated in the Wildlife Protection Amended Act in 2007 by the national tiger conservation authority.
Neginhal was born in Uttara Kannada district but all his education was in Dharwad. When he was a high school student, he had participated in the Quit India Movement. He was trained in Dharwad itself as a Range Forest Officer recruit.