Bandipur finally under field officer protection

NT Correspondent

With summer setting in, the possibility of fires due to heat is starting to increase. Reports of fires rise drastically during summer months. So, an eminent field officer is required to monitor and prevent accidental fires in the forest. In this regard, Karnataka Forest Department has appointed a field officer at Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The post was empty for more than a month. Through a recent order, Dr P Ramesh Kumar was appointed as the new field officer for the popular reserve.

Many environmentalists who were demanding for a permanent officer have also complained that it was a risky move in violation of the Union Environment Ministry’s direction during the tiger census as Karnataka hopes to roar once again as the tiger numbers here are increasing. In fact, the state now stands top in the country in this regard.

Reacting to this, Vijay Kumar, a wildlife activist from Bandipur, told News Trail, “The tiger census has begun, and we did not have a permanent field director. An officer on deputation will not be very effective because it is tiger census time and the field director holds a lot of relevance in tiger reserves. Somehow, the government has finally appointed a field director and the fact that we are approaching summer, his appointment will be doubly useful.”

At the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, the state government had in 2020 posted SR Natesh as the field director, after only 1.2 years of his inter-cadre deputation tenure. He left in December 2021. Since December, the reserve has not had a permanent field director.

“Summers also see increased instances of forest fires. This is because the smoke point or burning point of dry leaves can be reached easily when weather-induced temperatures soar. So, the field office can concentrate on the forest with new initiatives,” Vijay Kumar added.