Nilgiris Lok Sabha MP, A. Raja, on Wednesday, January 10, announced the setting up of a Command and Control Center in the Nilgiris to help mitigate negative human-animal interactions in the district, following the deaths of two persons in a leopard attack recently.
Mr. Raja, who took part in a review meeting in Gudalur to discuss measure to mitigate such interactions spoke to reporters on Wednesday, and said the Command and Control Center would be set up at a cost of ₹6 crores. “The Chief Minister has also announced a solatium of ₹10 lakhs for the next of kin of the two persons killed by the leopard, which is unprecedented,” said Mr. Raja.
He said the Command and Control Center would be manned round the clock by forest department personnel who will be tasked with monitoring the movement of wildlife in interface areas where there are increased chances of human-animal interactions.
The MP also said that the Rapid Response Team (RRT) personnel, which are currently a 90-person strong team, will be increased to 150 personnel, all belonging to local communities, to facilitate better information-sharing and cooperation between the public and the forest department.
The forest department will also receive two more “rapid vehicles” to reach locations quickly and efficiently.
A proposal to also integrate a police team with the forest department has also been raised with the Chief Minister, M.K.Stalin, said Mr. Raja. A grievance day meeting between the Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur) and the public each month to discuss problems and come up with solutions is also being planned, he said.
Also present at the review meeting was Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, D. Venkatesh, Nilgiris District Superintendent of Police, P. Sundaravadivel and Nilgiris collector, M. Aruna.
Fake videos circulated
The forest department has also cautioned people against spreading fake videos and information about the movement of tigers and leopards in Gudalur.
“Some miscreants are spreading rumours that Athiguna area has a tiger roaming around [sic]. This is false news. This looks aimed at spreading panic among the public. No such tiger movement is there,” said Kommu Omkaram, Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur), referring to an edited video using computer software where a video of a tiger was superimposed onto a background.
The DFO shared mobile phone numbers members of the public can contact for clarification or seek assistance from. The 24x7 contact numbers are 93427-49789 (Bitherkad Range), 94879-89499 (O’Valley), 94860-36467 (Gudalur), 86673-25758 (Pandalur), 90923-20850 (Cherambadi).
