Shimla: With an aim to curb poaching, Himachal Pradesh government will be setting up Wild Life Crime Control Unit equipped with mobility provision and linkages with sensitive zones such as Kinnaur, Kullu, Dharamsala and Chamba.
The Himachal State Wild Life Board arrived at a consensus to set up a Crime Control Unit, the headquarter of which would be located in Shimla.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who chaired the Board's meeting, said that a meeting had already been held in this regard with the police authorities for collaboration and set-up arrangement to check wild life offences.
The identified zones would be manned by a Superintendent of Police (SP) level officer along with a Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) on deputation, range officers, deputy rangers and Forest guards along with lower rank of police officials.
Besides, 45 trap cameras had been installed in the Great Himalayan National Park (a world heritage site in the Tirthan Valley of Kullu district) at different sensitive and vulnerable locations besides extensive poaching patrolling exercises.
The Chief Minister expressed his concern over setting up of Butterfly Park in the state, which was proposed to be set up at Simbalwara near Paonta Sahib and over declining population of house sparrows and directed to formulate conservation strategies for the long term survival of the species.
The Chief Minister lauded the efforts of the wild life wing for successful breeding of Western Tragopan at Sarahan in Rampur area.
The western Tragopan captive population was too small and efforts were on to build up a viable captive population and release of Western Tragopan in natural habitats would be planned later, he said.
Expressing satisfaction over implementation of Snow Leopard Conservation Project, the Chief Minister said "I am happy to learn that Rs 5.15 crore Snow Leopard Conservation Project was being implemented and steps should be taken for Radio collaring of snow leopards soon so that their exact population could be assessed."
