M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, March 1: The chief conservator of forest and field director of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) Kumar Ashutosh and his two deputies Kumar Ashish of South division and Prajesh Jena of North division made a detour off the top of the Burha Pahar and foothills. They took stock of the quality and density of the jungles, wild animals, water sources, safety of wildlife, and attitude of the people towards the jungles and the wildlife.
The detour started with a bike in the foothills but to reach the top of the Burha Pahar they used a chopper.
Field director Ashutosh said, “Our forests are very healthy. It has to be maintained.”
Sources said the Kutku range of the PTR is infamous for the proliferation of the desi gun ostensibly to hunt wild boars.
About the safety of the wildlife in the foothills of the Burha Pahar, Ashutosh said, “For wildlife, safety is 24×7 but there is no room for any complacency either.”
About the prey base, he said, “I was told by my personnel that deer make a good sight here. There are reports of leopard too here.”
Ashutosh said like in other places, here too there is a strong need to conserve rainwater and as such rainwater harvesting structures should be promoted by the civil administration.
No metallic road is permissible in PTR but where there is the hazard of steep or heavy rain cuts small patches off, the PCC road is found in the PTR and the Betla National Park is no exception to it.
Sources said to further ease the living of the people accessibility is to be improved and this is possible only when a hybrid road is built.
Sources said the bike detour to the foothills of the Burha Pahar is the first in the annals of the tiger reserve.
As PTR is spread over in little over 1,100 sq km, 30 per cent of it has been found to be inaccessible which means the presence of the PTR management is not in the 30 per cent area but with this bike tour of the foothills and chopper visit of the PTR team, a confident note has gone down to the rank and file for the PTR to reach out as remote as possible.
About the attitude of the villagers towards the jungles and wildlife the villagers are far wiser to believe that forest and wildlife both are very important to them, said Ashutosh.
