There were dramatic scenes at the Aranya Bhavan here on Sunday when rangers and guards staged a snap agitation beside the coffin of Murigeppa Tammangol, who died in a blazing forest fire in the Kalkere Range of Bandipur National Park on Saturday.
Their demands included pay parity with the police. They said that despite working in hostile terrains and inhospitable situations as the police, there was disparity in the salary structure and other facilities.
Though the officials announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh to the deceased guard’s family through the Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF), the rangers argued that the same benefits would not be available to them if they were caught in a similar situation in territorial forest areas and neither would they be covered by the TCF funds. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) B.G. Hosmath and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Jayaram assured the guards that their demands would be placed before the Chief Minister at the State Wildlife Board meeting convened on Monday. The guards also flayed Forest Minister Ramanath Rai for not reacting to the tragedy and district in-charge Minister H.C. Mahadevappa for not turning up to pay his last respects to the guard.
Fighting forest fires
Meanwhile, the Forest Department has decided to take up large-scale clearance of lantana and other weeds around swathes of forest area in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the State, in a bid to create an effective barrier against fire.
The plan is to compartmentalise forests into blocks of 100 to 200 hectares or acres and remove lantana around the periphery of each compartment, so that a gap created by removing the dry vegetation around each block acts as a firebreak.
Mr. Hosmath said the work on clearing lantana around each block will be taken up on priority basis.
A ceremonial honour was accorded to Murigeppa Tammangol. Arrangements were made to shift the body to his native village of Alagur in Sindagi taluk of Vijayapura district for the last rites on Monday.
