PANJIM: Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane, on Monday, said that the State government will use drones to keep surveillance in wildlife sanctuaries to prevent man-made fires.
Speaking to reporters after holding a meeting of forest officers in the city, Rane said, “We have decided to monitor the activities which are going on in the forests. We often see fire breaking out there. Therefore, we have decided to procure at least 10 drones through which we will try to monitor activities carried out by the people in the forests. Mainly sanctuaries and protected areas will be monitored by the drones.”
“The drones will not only monitor fire in the forests but also activities of the people. The forest department will keep an eye on the activities in the protected areas and the wildlife sanctuaries. We have tried to procure equipment whenever required,” he said.
Rane said, he will write to both the district collectors asking them to issue notices stating that action will be taken against all those who are responsible for setting fires in forest areas, even if they are private forests.
The minister said that the forest department has approximately 600 trekkers and they will be provided further training before the end of December, keeping in view requirements to deal with wildlife.
Rane said there is a need for framing new guidelines under which the forest department and disaster management cell will work in a coordinated manner. He pointed out that last year he had noticed fire near the pipeline of Zuari Indian Oiltanking Company and said this type of incidents should be prevented.
“It would have been man-made. This must be monitored. I urge people to monitor such incidents. I have also requested the Chief Minister to have community training. Already around 300 people have been trained under Aapda Mitra programme,” Rane stated.
