BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to tackle wildlife smuggling and poaching more effectively, the Odisha government has put in motion the procurement of 1,550 firearms to bolster defence capabilities of its frontline staff across all the forest divisions of the state.
The wildlife wing of the Forest and Environment Department has allocated Rs 7.16 crore for equipping 51 territorial and wildlife divisions and Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) with modern weaponry.
A top wildlife official said the money will be utilised to procure arms for the frontline forest staff in sensitive areas by the end of the 2023-24 fiscal. Subsequently, additional funds will be allocated to cover the remaining areas. Besides, more weapons could be added to the inventory in a phased manner. There has been a requisition of more than 4,100 firearms from all the territorial and wildlife divisions including two divisions of STR.
The firearms to be procured by the government include 9 mm pistols, 5.56 mm Excalibur assault rifle, 12-gauge pump action guns. The list also includes 5.56 mm INSAS rifles for Similipal. The requisition of 15 numbers of 5.56 mm INSAS rifles, five 9 mm auto pistols and five pump action guns made by the authorities of STR has been partially met this month, official sources said.
The Forest Department has also started to rebuild and reinforce the Similipal Tiger Protection Force (STPF) and use it as a striking force in the Similipal and Kuldiha-Hadgarh landscape. Though STPF had been formed to fight armed poachers and strengthen protection measures in the tiger reserve, it had never been used as a sophisticated unit nor given any proper training to remain prepared for such operations.
“We have inducted 40 trained forest guards and foresters in the STPF and are in the process of getting 40 ex-servicemen in the force,” a top officer from the wildlife wing said.
The officer said Similipal also has a joint task force comprising both forest and police personnel with one company of armed police constabulary to guard the protected area. The task force which is being headed by the field director of the STR was formed in August.
The arms procurement for forest staff started after the state government granted them immunity for the use of weapons on the line of duty under section 197 of the CrPC in July this year. The move followed after poachers killed two forest personnel in the STR.