Odisha sets up dedicated armed force unit for wildlife protection in Similipal Tiger Reserve

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has set up a dedicated company of Armed Police Reserve (APR) force to strengthen wildlife protection in Similipal Tiger Reserve, a notification by the home department said.

The APR force with 131 personnel of different categories will form a joint task force, said another notification issued by the Forest, Environment & Climate Change department.

Administrative control of the force will be under Mayurbhanj SP, while operational control will be managed in consultation with the field director of Similipal Tiger Reserve and the joint task force. The purpose of this force is to bolster anti-poaching efforts, protect wildlife and forest resources, and maintain law and order within the reserve, the home department notification said.

The new force includes a commandant, an inspector, three sub-inspectors, three assistant sub-inspectors, 30 havildars, three driver havildars, 87 constables, and three drivers.

"Government of Odisha has created one dedicated Company of Armed Police Constabulary for strengthening of protection measures in Similipal Tiger Reserve, Mayurbhanj. One of its kind in the entire country," former principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Susant Nanda posted on X.

While there is a Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) for protection of one-horned rhinoceroses in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, this unit in Odisha is considered the first of its kind where an armed police company is specifically created for the protection of a wildlife sanctuary.

The decision to create a dedicated armed force was taken after a series of meetings chaired by the chief secretary and the additional chief secretary.