The Bengal forest department will buy 200 SUVs to intensify patrolling in and around the reserve forests of the state.

Jyotipriya Mallick, the state forest minister, said on Friday that his department was focusing on the conservation and protection of forests and wildlife.

“We have already bought 391 motorcycles for the staff and have handed over AK series rifles to officers working in forest ranges and beats to combat offenders. Now, we are planning to buy 200 Jeeps (SUVs) to step up patrolling,” said Mallick.

He was here to attend a convention organised by range officers of the department.

The minister also spoke about elephant conservation and said the department wanted to develop new corridors for the animal. In a recent report published by the Union ministry of forests and environment, it has been mentioned that there are 26 elephant corridors in Bengal, the highest in any state of the country.

“We will create 11 new elephant corridors and in the first phase, our plan is to develop seven corridors, each of which would be around five-kilometre-long. For this purpose, we have to take patches of land from tea estates in north Bengal. It is because of the fragmentation of corridors that wild elephants walk into human habitats and incidents of elephant depredation are on the rise,” Mallick said.

He was also critical of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and said funds were not allotted to his department.

According to the minister, because of the non-availability of central funds, the tiger augmentation programme in Buxa Tiger Reserve (located in the Alipurduar district) has been delayed.

“We need to relocate 19 forest villages. Residents of seven villages are ready to move out and will receive compensation. But as the Centre is not providing funds, we could not shift them,” he said.

Park plan

The state forest department has prepared a master plan for the development of the North Bengal Wild Animal Park, commonly known as the Bengal Safari Park.

Located in the northeast outskirts of Siliguri, it is the one-of-its-kind open enclosure wild park in the state.

Sources in the department said the plan has been made with proposed projects to improve the facilities and infrastructure of the park over a period of the next 20 years.

“The plan has been submitted to the state zoo authority for approval. Next month, we want to send it to the central zoo authority for final approval,” said a senior official of the department.

As per the plan, animals like hippopotamus, zebras, and giraffes will be introduced at the park.

Also, the tiger’s enclosure would be increased and a new enclosure would be built for lions. “There is a plan to start lion safari after Durga Puja,” he added.

Jyotipriya Mallick, the state forest minister who visited the park on Friday afternoon, said they will launch 10 more buses for the safaris conducted at the park. As of now, nine buses are used for safaris.