Forest staff demand for weapons gets shriller

Adilabad: The demand for providing weapons for the Forest staff is back in focus once more with the increasing attack on them.

The personnel are always at the risk of attack by smugglers and now the people too are taking the law into the hands and launching attacks on them.

Series of attack on the Forest staff in Kagaznagar mandal and later in Mulkalapalli mandal highlighted the risk they are running while carrying out the tasks entrusted to them. At least five Forest officials were severely injured in the two incidents.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had directed the Forest officials to invoke Preventive Detention Act to deal sternly with the smuggler of forest wealth.

The Forest officials are forced to take the help of the police to deal with notorious smugglers as the former are armed.

It may be recalled that in 2009 at Lingapur village under Kadem when smugglers were transporting timber near Lingapur village under Kadem mandal in Adilabad district, smugglers fatally attacked a Forest officer, Linganna.

Forest staff were also attacked by smugglers at Allampalli village two years ago. The culprits fled when the local sub-inspector opened fire in the air.

Apart from it, smuggler killed a Forest Section Officer Muthyam in 2009 in Khanapur mandal. The smugglers attacked the Forest staff in the same mandal in 2011 also.

In Bajarhathnur mandal Dedra village smugglers attacked Forest Range officer Ragahava Chari.

Smugglers attacked DRO Rajeshwar who tried to prevent the culprits from smuggling timber two months ago on the outskirts of Tiryani village under Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

Telangana Junior Forest Officers Association Adilabad district president A Geeraiah, speaking to The Hans India, said that sometimes it is difficult to deal with smugglers in dense forest without weapon.

He demanded that weapon as well as Bell Arm to deposit the weapon.