BENGALURU: The state forest department has formed a committee to prepare a comprehensive report on the measures that need to be taken to strengthen the laws to prevent the possession of wildlife articles.
The decision comes after the arrest of Kannada Bigg Boss contestant Santhosh Kumar for wearing a necklace with an alleged ‘tiger claw’ pendant and the raids on Kannada cine actor Darshan and BJP MP Jaggesh to verify if they too were in possession of wildlife articles.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Brijesh Kumar Dixit issued orders on Wednesday on the setting up of the committee. There are clear directions under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, that prohibit the collection of any wildlife material. The act mandates that in case any such possessions are there, they should have been handed over to the forest department or have obtained a licence/authorisation letter from the forest officials, said Dixit in the memo.
The committee will be headed by the Additional PCCF (Wildlife) and will have Chief Conservator of Forests -- Bengaluru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and DCF --Bengaluru city, Tumakuru, Koppa and Shivamogga as members.
The committee sould submit the report within a week with details on the action taken on the complaints filed since the implementation of the Wildlife Protection Act, the action taken based on the complaints, action that needs to be taken on the ongoing cases and the measures to strengthen the law.