Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Credit: X@Siddaramaiah.
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday urged senior forest officials to hit the field to get the best out of their subordinates while stressing the need to end the wildlife conflict for conservation to succeed.
He was addressing the gathering after paying tributes to forest officers who have lost their lives on the line of duty during the National Forest Martyrs Day - 2025.
"Senior foresters' presence on the ground is needed to ensure that the juniors and staffers work efficiently. They should regularly visit the forest to improve protection of the forest and conservation of wildlife. If they stay there, it will be much better," he said.
The chief minister said the government has built railway barricades of 410 km length on the edges of the forests to prevent elephants from coming out of the forests. "However, this is not enough. The full barricade network has to be completed. The Forest and Environment Department is not a poor department. There are funds where (P M) Narendra Swamy is chairman," he said, referring to the coffers of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
When Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre interjected to add that the KSPCB board doesn't agree to provide funds for such works, Siddaramaiah, in a lighter vein, asked the minister to "bring them to me". "What will they do by sitting on the money," he asked.
Speaking on the occasion, Khandre said 62 foresters have died on duty. "To prevent poaching, fighting wildlife and in recent years, in operations to check man-animal conflict, many of our staffers have lost their lives. About 50 to 60 people are also losing their lives every year. Because the wildlife population, especially elephant numbers, is increasing but their habitat is shrinking," he said.
No increase in forest cover: CM
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah once again observed that decades of afforestation activities have not borne fruit. "I first became a minister in 1994 and ever since I have been watching the forest department's programmes closely. The extent of forest has remained at about 20%. There has been no increase in the forest extent in the last 40 years," he said, repeating a remark he made at last year's Martyrs Day event.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said the department has planted 11 crore saplings in 2.5 years and he has asked officials to verify their survival.