Strike forces in forests to patrol, check smuggling

Hyderabad: To curb smuggling, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to set up strike forces for patrolling, and to establish base camps in vulnerable forest areas.

The government has also decided to improve communication and will provide mobile phones and wireless sets to lower level forest staff.

The forests in AP are lucrative targets for illicit activities like smuggling, mining and poaching. Meanwhile, the area that a beat officer has to cover is 30 sq. km and it often becomes impossible for the officer to keep track of the entire area.

Forest officials had told the government that it was not possible for a lone beat officer to conduct raids and apprehend offenders, and the government decided to establish strike forces in the forest for patrolling and to curb smuggling.

The government will create 65 strike forces across the state, each comprising five protection watchers headed by a forest section officer or deputy range officer. Base camps will also be set up with a team of five protection watchers.

The protection watchers at the base camps inside the forest areas will move from place to place and assist the department in effective protection of forests. The government will establish 193 base camps.

The government will also improve the mobility of the staff, especially in areas with red sanders, in Chittoor and Kadapa districts. Mobile phones will also be given to all front-line staff.