Pradhan urges forest minister, Odisha CM to take stringent action against poaching in Similipal Tiger Reserve

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged his Cabinet colleague Bhupender Yadav and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take cognizance of incidents of poaching in the Similipal Tiger Reserve and said stringent action on all fronts and effective enforcement of the law are required to deter poachers.

Pradhan's reaction comes after 40-year-old forester Mati Hansda was shot dead allegedly by poachers in the sanctuary in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district.

The incident occurred when a Forest department team was patrolling inside the sanctuary. A gunfire exchange broke out between the team and six armed poachers at the Badachachran beat house on Friday night, a forest official said on Saturday.

Reacting to the incident, Union Education Minister Pradhan, said in a tweet, ''Another forest official shot dead by poachers in Similipal Tiger Reserve is a matter of great concern for every wildlife enthusiast and conservationist.'' Losing ''determined officers like Mati Hansda'' who gave his all to protect wildlife is always disheartening, the minister noted.

''A second such incident in about a month's time following the killing of forest guard Shri Bimal Kumar Jena, such brazenness by poachers and anti-social elements is a worrisome trend,'' Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, said.

Neither the wildlife nor the personnel protecting them is safe in Odisha's reserves, he added.

''Stringent action on all fronts and effective enforcement of (the) Wildlife Act is required to deter poachers and the emboldened spirits of organised poaching rackets,'' Pradhan said in another tweet, tagging Patnaik and Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Yadav.

''(I) urge my Cabinet colleague Shri Bhupender Yadav and Hon CM Odisha Naveen Patnaik to take cognisance of these incidents and bring the culprits to task,'' he added.