DCF, Wildlife Division, Mysuru, will head the LTF under the direction of CCF
Mysore/Mysuru: With the spurt in leopard menace especially in Mysuru district with three lives lost to big cat in T. Narasipur taluk alone in the recent months (from Oct. 2022 to Jan. 2023), State Government has formed Leopard Task Force (LTF) in Mysuru Circle.
According to a Government Order dated Jan. 31, it has been intended to constitute LTF in the wake of rise in leopard menace in Mysuru Circle that includes Mysuru, Nanjangud, H.D. Kote, Sargur, T. Narasipur, Mandya, Pandavapura and Nagamangala limits. In the last three years, the leopards have been claiming the lives of cattle, sheeps, dogs and humans at the houses in nearby agricultural fields in the villages, according to a notification issued by Under Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment, Geetha M. Patil.
As explained in the proposal, a 58-member LTF has been formed to check the menace of the animal, involving following officers and personnel: Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), Wildlife Division, Mysuru, will be the head of LTF, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), Regional Sub-Division, Mysuru, one Range Forest Officer (RFO), four Deputy Range Forest Officers (DRFOs), eight Patrolling Forest Guards, 40 LTF Assistants to be taken on outsource and five drivers on outsource basis, totalling 58 personnel.
Specifying the role of officers in LTF, it is stated that ‘The LTF will function under the overall leadership and direction of Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), Mysuru Circle. Under the leadership of DRFOs, the LTF will have four teams, with each including two Patrolling Forest Guards, one driver and 10 outsourced employees. Every team should patrol villages affected by leopards and take action after identifying the presence of leopards at residential areas especially the farming areas with sugarcane cultivation.’
The 24×7 LTF Control Room shall be opened at Aranya Bhavan, Mysuru and the contact number should be extensively publicised among general public. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), also the head of Forest Force, should provide required search light, public addressing system and siren to LTF.
The PCCF should also issue order appointing adequate personnel to LTF. The head of the Task Force should coordinate with the District Administration and seek required assistance, the notification added.
This post was published on February 1, 2023 7:55 pm