The Haldia refinery of the Indian Oil Corporation will spend around Rs 2 crore towards the conservation of the Royal Bengal tigers in the Sunderbans by facilitating foresters with modern patrolling equipment.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Friday between Indian Oil, Haldia refinery and the Sunderbans Tiger Conservation Foundation Trust in presence of executive director and refinery head Partha Ghosh and principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife, and chief wildlife warden, Bengal, Debal Ray

According to a census conducted in 2020-21, the Sunderbans has 96 tigers and a source in the forest department said help from Indian Oil would help them increase mobilisation in the core area to take care of the wild animals.

According to the MoU, the Haldia refinery would provide hi-tech speed boats, multiutility drones, GPS-based monitoring system for boats for effective patrolling, and construction of floating and concrete jetties and water treatment plants in the camps. This will strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of protecting the huge ecosystem with the deployment of technology and modern equipment.

“Indian Oil’s environmental leadership extends beyond the confines of business and our recent partnership with the Sunderbans Tiger Conservation Foundation Trust to support the modernisation of patrolling in the Sunderbans tiger reserve cements this resolve. Indian Oil is all set towards conservation of Royal Bengal tigers and we will continue to explore more avenues for strengthening our national ecological heritage,” said Ghosh.