The officials of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) organised two training camps on handling weapons for jawans of Special Tiger Protection Force and forest guards at SRP, Group no: 9, Amravati for over a month, ending on October 2.
PTR is one of the important tiger reserves situated centrally in the country and it is connected with other tiger reserves through corridors. It is a sensitive habitat from the point of view of protection and conservation. Hence, the training camps were organised for the newly recruited 63 jawans in STPF (STPF) and 16 other forest guards. In all 58 males and 21 females participated in the camps.
The specialists provided training to them on SLR, 12 bore pump action gun and 9 mm pistol as well on non-lethal weapons. After completion of the camps, the participants were given certificates. It is expected that these forest employees have now acquired knowledge in weapons and that would help the department for effective protection of flora and fauna, says a press note issued by Dr Prabhu Nath Shukla, Deputy Director, PTR, Nagpur.
The officers and employees completed the camps under the guidance of Harshal Poddar, IPS while Mahesh Parab, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Bhagat of STPF, Suryavanshi, Range Forest Officer, and STPF team co-ordinated in the camps.
Pralhad Kshirsagar, Forest Guard, STPF, said that using weapons was not that easy as show int he films. The participants took information about opening, connecting and targeting, he said adding that the important thing we learnt was maintaining discipline.
