The authorities of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Maharashtra's Nagpur district are in the process of setting up special teams to take immediate action in case of incidents of human-wildlife conflict that the residents of villages located in the buffer zone of this forest may face.
Deputy director of the PTR, Prabhu Nath Shukla, said in a statement that Primary Response Teams were being constituted in villages in the buffer zone of all seven ranges of the reserve.
"Human-wildlife conflict is on the rise in protected areas and surrounding villages across the state. For this, one Rapid Rescue Unit (RRU) has been established at Pipariya campus, Paoni UC Range in the PTR, Maharashtra. As Pench river bifurcates the PTR into two parts, one more RRU unit is being established at Amabazari village in Nagalwadi Range," it said.
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At the secondary level of response, Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are being established in the PTR, he said.
"To fill the time lag between the incidents of man-animal conflict and the response of the department, Primary Response Teams (PRTs) are being set up in all the buffer villages of the reserve at the tertiary level," Shukla added.
So far, 189 youths have been selected on a voluntary basis to become part of the PRTs, the statement said.
Guidelines have been issued by the authorities for streamlining the entire process of the functioning of the PRTs. A quarterly meeting of all the PRT members will be taken at the range level. At least once a month, PRT members will participate in patrolling the tiger reserve staff. Besides, there is a plan to support PRT members for their livelihood needs also, the statement said.
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-With PTI Input
