Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Thursday launched a forest and wildlife helpline number 1926 which will ensure the protection of forests and tackling human-wildlife conflict.
As per an official release of Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Rawat while addressing departmental officials via video-conferencing said that the “helpline will prove useful in resolving public grievances linked for forests and wildlife only if complaints received on it are addressed expeditiously.
He said that mitigating human-wildlife conflict is a major challenge. He stressed on the need for integrated efforts to make the helpline useful in resolving this issue.
“The helpline will enable swift solutions to incidents occurring in forests, smuggling, poaching and other forest related crimes and issues. The focus must be laid on ensuring food for wildlife in the forests to tackle the challenge of protecting crops from wild animals,” he said.
Rawat stressed on the need for preparing a work plan for this purpose. He also directed that public awareness campaigns be undertaken from time to time to ensure public participation in the protection of forests and wildlife.
