The government has issued orders re-constituting the Telangana State Board for Wildlife on Wednesday.
Chaired by Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao, the Board will have Minister for Forests and Environment as the vice-chairperson, and legislators Koneru Konappa, Marri Janardhan Reddy and Vanama Vekatesh Rao as members from the State legislature.
Chairman of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), India, Anil Kumar Epur, and President, Deccan Birders, J.V.D.Moorty have been appointed as persons representing NGOs dealing with wildlife.
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Special Correspondent adds from Adilabad: Conservation enthusiasts in erstwhile undivided Adilabad district and Forest department personnel expressed surprise on Sirpur MLA Koneru Konappa (TRS) being appointed as member of the State Board for Wildlife. Mr Konappa's name has been associated with the infamous incident of attack on a forest personnel including a woman Forest Range officer on June 30 as his brother is among the accused.
“The appointment could result in sagging of morale in the Forest department,” opined an official on conditions of anonymity. “The genesis of attack was in encroachment of forest land,” he added, giving the reason for the expected sagging of morale of the staff.