Last week, an anti-poaching squad nabbed a five-member gang at Sanarpatti near Sirumalai forest range in the district after they attempted to gun down an Indian gaur.
Similarly, a fortnight ago, three youths escaped from Ayyalur forest range in two-wheelers under the cover of darkness, when the forest watcher raised an alarm.
Though the Forest Department imposes ‘hefty’ fines and takes stern action, the crimes inside the forest ranges in the district seem to continue without any hitches, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, activists in the district allege.
According to activists, the district is the native of AIADMK MLA ‘Dindigul’ C.Srinivasan, who is the State Forest Minister. Despite this advantage, the wildlife crime could not be controlled.
The activists have official data to back their claim. Information obtained through RTI (Right to Information) Act showed that between 2014 and 2019, the forest officials had booked 3,187 cases including wildlife offences and other criminal acts.
The RTI also revealed that deer skins, weapons and vehicles were seized. Cases were registered against the violators under the Indian Forest Act and fines levied.
“It is high time the department’s long pending demands to fill the vacancies and provide gadgets are implemented without any more excuse,” said an activist.
Largest tract
The district with seven forest ranges — Sirumalai, Kanniwadi, Batlagundu, Natham, Oddanchatram, Alagar and Ayyalur — has 74,495.51 hectares of forest land, the largest in the State.
Considering the vast extent of the forestry, the government had been told about the need to fill the vacancies, especially, in the forest watcher category.
Because of the limited resources and manpower, poachers had not only free access to the forests, but also roamed scot free, the activists charged.
Many check-posts, identified by the activists in the forest ranges, especially in Sirumalai, Ayyalur and Kanniwadi, still lacked proper equipment and the night watch was ineffective, the activists blamed.
According to a forest official, they were short-staffed by about 40%. However, the official maintained that there was no dip in the vigil and violators were booked as per the laws, the official added.
The suggestions, which included construction of more check dams inside the forests, with the assistance from institutions like the NABARD, had not been approved. “If water is provided sufficiently, the animal conflicts experienced now in villages situated close to the reserve forest ranges may be avoided,” said another activist.
Likewise, cameras and installation of all-weather proof lights with solar systems too remained only on paper. Many dilapidated buildings - chavadis - in the forest villages could be well utilised for watching animal movement and could be used for educational purposes, the activists point out.
The activists in the region said the government should fill vacancies in the forest ranges at the earliest to keep the poachers away. Besides, the government should also redress the grievances of farmers, who complained of wild animals foraying into their farm lands, to save human lives and prevent migration.
When contacted, a senior official in the Forest Department headquarters in Chennai said the TN Forest Uniform Services Recruitment Committee had notified for recruitment of 1,178 posts of frontline staff two years ago and the online exam was conducted in Dec. 2018.
“The Committee had received 3.48 lakh online applications. Recruitment is a perennial task. We will fill the vacancies as and when they are notified,” he added.
