BHUBANESWAR: After an announcement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and four General Budgets, Odisha Government has finally announced constitution of its first tiger protection force (TPF) at Similipal. The official notification for the Similipal TPF comes barely a few days after a fresh spree of elephant poaching in the tiger habitat came to light. A company of force, headed by an assistant conservator of forests (ACF), will be deployed for protection of tigers in the STR. The strength of the STPF will be 112. The force will be headquartered at Gudgudia and three barracks established at Jenabil, Nawana and Gudgudia. The protection force personnel will receive special training from the State Police as well as the Central Para Military Force based on a special syllabus for skill development, combating poaching and intelligence-based enforcement in the forested terrains. Funded fully by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a dedicated body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the force will be trained as per the syllabus meant for India Reserve Battalion. Specialised training will be imparted to the personnel from time to time while international exposure visits, to understand benchmarks adopted internationally, will also be arranged. The company will comprise three range officers, 18 foresters and 90 forest guards besides the ACF. While the ACF and range officers will come from the State cadres, as per the NTCA guidelines, fresh recruitments will be carried out for 18 foresters and 90 forest guards. At least 30 per cent of the special tiger guards will be engaged by outsourcing through different service providers and the personnel will be drawn from local forest- dwellers such as ‘van gujjars’ and ‘gonds’ who will be entitled to regular service benefits. However, their educational qualification will be relaxed. The Government has decided to amend the Odisha Sub-ordinate Forest Service Rules, 1998, to ensure that the STPF personnel serve in Similipal only up to an age of 40. After that, they will be absorbed in vacancies at Baripada, Kanajia and Rairangpur Divisions. Each year, fresh recruitment will be done to fill up the vacancies. The raising, arming and deployment expenses of the tiger force will be borne by NTCA. Initially, there was confusion between the State Police and the Forest Department about composition of the force over the cadres, from which the personnel will be drawn, their administrative control and subsequent absorption.
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