Situated in the Vindhyan Ranges and spread over Panna and Chhatarpur districts in the north of Madhya Pradesh, Panna Tiger Reserve comprises territorial forests from all directions and is home to over 70 tigers.
However, poaching poses a big threat to the Reserve, and to prevent it, special patrolling personnel have been living in remote forest camps for many years. Recently Deputy Director of Panna Tiger Reserve, Vejaynantham, IFS, visited the forest and saw the living conditions of these personnel, and decided to bring about some changes.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Vejayanantham talked about the forest camps and the changes that the department introduced in them.
LIVING IN REMOTE CONDITIONS
Posted as a probationer initially and later appointed as the Deputy Director of Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Vejayanantham decided to go inspecting deep inside the forest with his team to analyze the kind of hard work that his staff was putting into protecting wildlife.
That is when he realized that they were living in such remote areas that they were totally disconnected from civilization and their families.
“They were sacrificing a lot. They didn’t even have the basic facility of mobile network connection or electricity. All they had was a single torch and a lamp which they used to go on forest patrolling,” the officer said.
SOLARIZING FOREST CAMPS
Based on his observation, the forest department decided to establish solar set-ups for them. Initially, the staff was given small solar set-ups such as solar torches and lanterns which would work not more than a couple of hours.
“We decided to provide them with at least the basic necessities of life so that it’s easy for them to spend their lives in the remote camps in the heart of the forest. So, we installed 1kW solar set-ups in 72 forest camps in Panna Tiger Reserve out of the 120 temporary camps. This includes tube lights, plug points, and a fan each,” he told Indian Masterminds.
This decision completely changed the staff’s lives as they were extremely happy to get the facilities. This step also helped in increasing their work productivity, as now they could charge their torch batteries and go to patrol anytime that they wished, instead of waiting for the sun to charge them.
WIRELESS SETUPS
Before the initiative, the staff had to walk all the way to bigger camps or the nearest civilization to charge their wireless devices that were used for communication. Even the officers faced difficulty connecting with them since the wireless’ battery backup was short and they discharged quickly.
“Because of the solar set-ups, they are now connected with us 24×7, thereby improving the communication between the field officers and staff,” said Mr. Vejayanantham.
The solar set-ups have also helped them in connecting with their families as now they can keep their mobile phones charged and talk to them whenever they feel like it.
BETTER PATROLLING
These forest camps are mostly situated on hilltops and because of complete darkness at night and lack of electricity, poachers who tried to get into the jungle went unnoticed by the staff.
“The poachers were also unaware that the camps existed, and they easily trespassed inside. However, now because of the availability of electricity, the forest camps are lit up 24×7, scaring away the poachers as they feel that somebody is watching them from the hilltop at all times.”
SAFE FOR ANIMALS
Keeping the safety of the tigers and other animals roaming around in the sanctuary in mind, all the electric lines of the solar panels have been placed underground.
“There is no open line anywhere. Everything is underground. The solar panels are either installed on the top of buildings or near them, and all the lines go underneath the ground, leaving no scope for an animal getting hurt or electrocuted. Moreover, the installation of lights further keeps the animals away as they are not very fond of lights and prefer to stay in darkness,” Mr. Vejayanantham told Indian Masterminds.
By giving solar facilities in remote forest camps, more workforce and staff are now getting attracted to work for the protection of wildlife, who were otherwise not so keen on taking such jobs and preferred to work in territorial divisions.
The setup that the officer thought will result in improving the living conditions of the forest campers is now indirectly helping them in improving the protection of the wildlife as well.
