CM Siddaramaiah asks forest dept to check wildlife conflict, habitat loss

Bengaluru: Shrinking wildlife habitat and rising man-animal conflict became a central point of the event held to mark the closing ceremony of the National Wildlife Week, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directing the forest department to do better to save the natural landscapes.

On the back of the poisoning of six tigers in MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Siddaramaiah warned that killing wildlife to avenge the loss of cattle would be viewed seriously.

“We will take action against those who kill wildlife. Forest officers need to work with more responsibility in this regard. At the same time, we need studies to understand why the animals are straying from their habitats to come up with scientific solutions,” he said.

Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre stressed the importance of habitat protection.

“It is difficult to increase forest cover under the present circumstances. Therefore, protecting the existing forests from encroachment is highly important,” he stated.

Referring to the second incident of tiger poisoning in the MM Hills, Khandre said he has directed the officers to conduct awareness programmes among the people living near forests.

The event saw the release of the selection list of 514 beat foresters to fill the high number of vacancies in the department.

Anil Kumble, the brand ambassador of the department, requested the chief minister to suggest to the Centre to award presidential medals to forest personnel rendering exceptional service.

1 MW solar plant in Bannerghatta 

Forest Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre said the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) will tap solar power to fulfil its current and future energy needs. “This will be the first biological park in the country to run on green energy. The project will be flagged off next week” he said.