<p>Communication and planning is imperative for rescue operations, especially when it concerns wild beasts, which are highly unpredictable.<br /><br /></p>.<p>To make long-distance communication possible in dense forest areas, walkie-talkies were introduced by the State Forest department, which pays a whopping Rs 45 lakh every year to the Telecom Ministry in the form of royalty and renewal fee for the wireless connection. The department is also spending lakhs of rupees to upgrade the wireless system by purchasing new devices.<br /><br />The irony, however, is that mobile phones have replaced walkie-talkies, with many officials and ground staff in the various circles of the State switching to the former.This is having a major impact during rescue/combing operations, as there is lack of cohesion in the department, making the process complicated and laborious. The reason being lack of mobile reception in most of the forest areas. The recent elephant and tiger rescue operations in and around Mysore, stand testimony to this fact. At no point during the operations did forest officials make use of walkie-talkies. They were instead relying on mobile phones to communicate with their colleagues, which, however, was not very effective, as the team members were seen getting completely cut off from each other when they moved in different directions.<br /><br />When asked why walkie-talkies are not being used, the usual response was the devices were stationed inside the vehicles.<br /><br />Vinay Luthra, PCCF, Wildlife, told Deccan Herald that it had come to the notice of the department that a majority of the officials had shifted to using mobile phones. “There is disuse of walkie-talkies, thanks to the emergence of mobile phones. However, a good wireless network is a must, and officials have been given strict instructions to use walkie-talkies. It’s not that the devices have become obsolete – some of them are old, but a majority of them are still functional. The department has been given a grant of Rs 15 to Rs 20 crore for modernisation, which includes computerisation and digitisation of walkie-talkies,” he said.<br /><br />Last year, the department had procured over 520 devices for Shimoga and Mangalore circles through e-tender. As many as 375 hand-held walkie-talkies (Shimoga 250; Mangalore 125); 135 mobile walkie-talkies (Shimoga 80; Mangalore 50); and 12 Repeaters (Shimoga 8; Mangalore 4) were purchased at a cost of Rs 46 lakh from the company Vertel.<br /><br />This year, the department has placed a similar order with Keonics to provide the devices to Chickmagalur and Hassan circles, where the man-animal conflict has reached its peak. The department has set aside around Rs 35 lakh for this purpose.</p>
<p>Communication and planning is imperative for rescue operations, especially when it concerns wild beasts, which are highly unpredictable.<br /><br /></p>.<p>To make long-distance communication possible in dense forest areas, walkie-talkies were introduced by the State Forest department, which pays a whopping Rs 45 lakh every year to the Telecom Ministry in the form of royalty and renewal fee for the wireless connection. The department is also spending lakhs of rupees to upgrade the wireless system by purchasing new devices.<br /><br />The irony, however, is that mobile phones have replaced walkie-talkies, with many officials and ground staff in the various circles of the State switching to the former.This is having a major impact during rescue/combing operations, as there is lack of cohesion in the department, making the process complicated and laborious. The reason being lack of mobile reception in most of the forest areas. The recent elephant and tiger rescue operations in and around Mysore, stand testimony to this fact. At no point during the operations did forest officials make use of walkie-talkies. They were instead relying on mobile phones to communicate with their colleagues, which, however, was not very effective, as the team members were seen getting completely cut off from each other when they moved in different directions.<br /><br />When asked why walkie-talkies are not being used, the usual response was the devices were stationed inside the vehicles.<br /><br />Vinay Luthra, PCCF, Wildlife, told Deccan Herald that it had come to the notice of the department that a majority of the officials had shifted to using mobile phones. “There is disuse of walkie-talkies, thanks to the emergence of mobile phones. However, a good wireless network is a must, and officials have been given strict instructions to use walkie-talkies. It’s not that the devices have become obsolete – some of them are old, but a majority of them are still functional. The department has been given a grant of Rs 15 to Rs 20 crore for modernisation, which includes computerisation and digitisation of walkie-talkies,” he said.<br /><br />Last year, the department had procured over 520 devices for Shimoga and Mangalore circles through e-tender. As many as 375 hand-held walkie-talkies (Shimoga 250; Mangalore 125); 135 mobile walkie-talkies (Shimoga 80; Mangalore 50); and 12 Repeaters (Shimoga 8; Mangalore 4) were purchased at a cost of Rs 46 lakh from the company Vertel.<br /><br />This year, the department has placed a similar order with Keonics to provide the devices to Chickmagalur and Hassan circles, where the man-animal conflict has reached its peak. The department has set aside around Rs 35 lakh for this purpose.</p>
