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Forest staff helpless against smugglers
Forest Staff Helpless Against Smugglers, Anti-Smuggling Operations. The gruesome killing of two Forest personnel by smugglers on Sunday, which jolted the department, reveals how ill-equipped it was in tackling the growing menace.
- Lacks weapons, wireless sets, vehicles
- Becoming easy prey for armed gangs
- Govt dithers as red sanders are plundered
Tirupati: The gruesome killing of two Forest personnel by smugglers on Sunday, which jolted the department, reveals how ill-equipped it was in tackling the growing menace. Red sanders smuggling recently reached a peak, despite intensified measures to check it.
A task force was set up six month back in addition to the department and the police stepping up their drive. Surprisingly, they failed to deter smugglers operating with renewed vigour and acting with vengeance, whenever confronted, to outwit the Forest staff and police.
Sunday’s incident reveals inadequately armed forest personnel were no match to smugglers--in numbers or weapons. The 250 firearms sanctioned by the government to the Forest field are yet to be delivered to the Tirupati division. This hamstrung the division where red sander smuggling is more.
Sadly the department is still to realise the enormity of the situation, when it allowed into the forest six/eight staffers, unarmed without knowing the strength of the smugglers or the ground realities. Ill-preparedness coupled with ‘light approach’ of the staff proved fatal for two officials.
A police officer involved in anti-smuggling operations wondered how could a small group venture into the forest even after knowing that about 100 smugglers were on the prowl. `For the past one year there were more than a dozen incidents of smugglers retaliating with vengeance, attacking the personnel with stones, lethal weapons, injuring many. But alas the field staff failed to learn a lesson, he lamented. There have been serious allegations of several police and Forest personnel too lending their invisible support for the smooth passage of smugglers to take red sanders to Tamil Nadu. Another prime reason for the smuggling remaining unchecked was lack of effective coordination among police, forest or the task force.
Arms for personnel soon
Responding to a long-felt need, Principal Secretary and Chief Conservator of Forests B S S Reddy said on Sunday that weapons would be provided to the forest personnel soon.
Reddy who arrived here to pay respects to the two forest personnel who were killed in an attack by smugglers, earlier in the day, said that the procurement process and other related towards aspects like arming the forest staff is under way. He was hopeful that the weapons would be distributed by January 13.
Reacting to the macabre attack, he said, ``We will discuss the steps to be taken to handle such exigencies'. He said that they would seek government help to streamline the department and toughen measures against smugglers.
On red sander smuggling that thrives in the district, he said that a lot had been done to check the menace, which was evidenced by seizure of logs, vehicles and arrests. Reddy paid last respects to the mortal remains of Sridhar and David Kumar who were done to death by the smugglers in Tirumala forests.
