Dr Nitin Raut, Power Minister, instructed the senior administrative officers of Chandrapur Super Power Tharmal Station (CSPTS) that they should not depend on Forest Department but themselves start removing Zudpi jungle in the vicinity of power station so that wild animals would not find hiding places and avoid coming there.
They should clear shrubs, bushes and trees and see that tigers or leopards do not get food or water in the premises. He also announced formation of a co-ordination committee under the presidentship of Chandrapur Collector to avoid movement of carnivores in the buffer area of the project.
Dr Raut was addressing a meeting of the officials in Hirai Rest House in Urjanagar on Sunday in the background of death of a power station worker in tiger attack in the premises of the plant, while suggesting measures for security of the people and reducing man-animal conflict. Prajakta Lawangare-Verma, Divisional Commissioner, Nagpur, Ajay Gulhane, Chandrapur Collector, Arvind Salve, Superintendent of Police, N Praveen, Chief Conservator of Forest, Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Field Director, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Pankaj Sapate, Chief Engineer of the power station, Deshpande, Chief Engineer, Distribution, Rahul Karekar, Range Forest Officer, and others were present in the meeting.
After the meeting, the minister inspected the spot where the worker was killed by the tiger recently. He asked the officials to collect the information from Kanha and Bandhavgad National Parks about measures they have taken to check entry of wild animals in human settlements and submit them to the government. He also asked the officials to check throwing of wet garbage, proper disposal of wastes in mutton shops and other measures like towers to check movements of carnivores, keeping some vehicles ready, completion of compound wall, flash lights, camera traps etc.
