BENGALURU: Members of the State Board for Wildlife, at the third standing committee meeting on Thursday, suggested relocation of tribals from Kudremukh Wildlife Sanctuary, instead of providing electricity to them inside the forest patch. At a meeting chaired by Karnataka Forest, Environment and Ecology minister Eshwar B Khandre, it was suggested that rehabilitation was a better option. “Since very few people of the many hamlets are demanding electricity, shifting them outside the forests is a better and viable option,” sources told TNIE. It was also decided to conduct a resurvey of Shettihalli forest patch and include areas that have been left out. The minister was also apprised of the track doubling proposal from Castlerock to Hosapete, for which it was decided that a committee would be formed to assess and submit a report on the wildlife and environmental impact of the project, and table the report at the next meeting.
The proposal to erect 4G towers inside the Kali Tiger Reserve was rejected, as this has been dropped by the National Board for Wildlife.
Khandre instructed officials to visit villages abutting forests once a month, and hold meetings with villagers to address their grievances. He said this was essential in the wake of the recent death of five tigers in Malai Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.