Guwahati: A Rhino Protection Force with more than twelve hundred personnel would be raised for protection of rhinos in the state, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said.
The state government has already sent a proposal to the Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the force will be formed very soon, Gogoi said during a review meeting on anti-poaching measures and other related issues held at Kaziranga National Park last evening.
Lauding the untiring efforts of the field staff in protection of Kaziranga, Gogoi said modern technology will be used extensively to curb the menace of poaching.
He also suggested several measures to be taken up by the Forest department, park authorities and the district administration concerned for protection of the world heritage site.
Fund would not be a constraint for upscaling anti- poaching infrastructure. High-end equipment such as night vision devices, thermal scanners, surveillance cameras, GPS to be deployed at the earliest, he said.
He also directed the district authorities to sanitise the bordering areas adjoining the Kaziranga National Park by deploying young and energetic commando force.
Gogoi further said that a Chief Minister's Gallantry Award would be instituted for security guards for their exemplary services on anti-poaching.
He also asked the park authorities to take the National Investigating Agency's help to deal with rhino poachers and bust its trade routes across inter-state and international borders.
