Forest and police personnel hold joint meeting in Tenkasi

A joint meeting between police and forest departments was organised here on Thursday.

The meeting discussed ways to prevent anti-wildlife activities, strengthen gathering of intelligence on unlawful activities happening in and outside the forests, especially hunting of wild animals, and possession of firearms and country-bombs for hunting animals.

The forest department recently issued an ultimatum on surrender of illegal firearms and the meeting reinforced the drive to compel individuals to surrender their rifles, pistols and revolvers.

The meeting resolved to organise joint patrolling, surprise checks in vulnerable areas, share intelligence inputs and prevent unlawful activities along the reserve forest boundaries and within the forest through better coordination between the two departments.

It discussed at length the manufacture of country bombs to settle personal scores and hunt wild animals and decided to improve the informers’ base. It decided to tell the public to alert either the police or the forest offices about poaching, possession of illegal fire arms or country-made bombs and assured that the informers’ identity would be closely guarded.

Superintendent of Police G.S. Madhavan, District Forest Officer R. Rajmohan and other senior police officials participated in the joint meeting.