RAIPUR: For decades, the dense emerald canopies of the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh were under the influence of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), creating a no-man’s land where even the most seasoned hunters feared to tread.
However, a new and equally disturbing threat has emerged in the aftermath of the insurgency: organised poaching syndicates are now reportedly outnumbering and overpowering state forest protection teams.
Recently, in the Raja Bungalow area of Dantewada district, the forest's silence has been replaced by the crackle of deliberately lit wildfires.
Inspection revealed a brutal modus operandi. Poachers are setting hills ablaze to flush out wildlife.
As smoke thickens, panicked animals, ranging from deer and wild boar to the endangered gaur and even tigers, flee the heat only to run straight into deadly snares and "jaal" (nets) laid in clearings.
The vulnerability of the Forest Department was exposed when a small team of five forest personnel encountered a large group of approximately 150 alleged poachers.
Facing a significant numerical disadvantage, the forest staff were forced to retreat, leaving the forest and its wildlife at risk.
This is not an isolated incident. Over the past month, more than half a dozen attacks on forest personnel have been reported across the Bastar zone, with officials injured while attempting to protect wildlife in forest areas, sources said.
Chhattisgarh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Arun Pandey, however denies that such a threat or tribal community hunting exists while affirming any such challenging situation will not be allowed.
“Bastar Wildlife will now flourish as we will manage their habitat better by creating more water sources and grasslands in the forested terrain of south Bastar districts. With heightened vigilance to prevent poaching attempts, we will also seek cooperation from local community leaders,” he told this newspaper.
Experts point to a “post-Naxal” power vacuum. While the decline of LWE has brought a semblance of normalcy, it has also emboldened criminals who were previously deterred by Maoists’ strict control over the terrain.
“This is a highly brazen act,” wildlife enthusiast Nitin Singhvi wrote to the Chief Secretary, “especially considering the immense efforts made over the years to restore normalcy.”
To tackle the crisis, there is growing demand to repurpose parts of the state’s anti-insurgency apparatus. Currently, around 1,000 District Reserve Guards (DRG) personnel, trained specifically for the difficult forest terrain of Bastar, are stationed in Dantewada.
Singhvi suggested that these DRG personnel could be deployed alongside forest divisions by shifting their focus from anti-Naxal operations to anti-poaching and forest fire prevention.
