Forest department set to ride high on ATVs

KOCHI: Gone are the days when a forest ranger had to walk for hours to attend a distress call or reach a remote guard post. In a novel initiative to improve the mobility of its officials, the Forest and Wildlife Department is conducting trials on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), which can manoeuvre the tough terrains of inaccessible wilderness.If found successful, the department is planning to implement the project by the end of the year. The initiative is part of Forest Minister K B Ganesh Kumar’s efforts to ease the accessibility-related burdens on the department by incorporating state-of-the-art technology.Stressing the need to focus on protection and modern technology, the minister told ‘Express’ that providing mobility to the department staff into areas, which are inaccessible or difficult to traverse using ordinary vehicles, was the only way out. “There are many remote areas in the wilderness which do not have roads. Since the department staff have to walk for hours to reach these places, they seldom conduct surveillance there. This issue will be solved if the ATV is introduced. We are satisfied with the first round of the trial run. We will conduct further tests to check whether certain aspects, like the  sound of the vehicle, comply with the prescribed forest norms,” said Ganesh Kumar.  He added that the vehicles will be of great use during emergencies. “Earlier, there have been instances when victims of wildlife attacks could not be given timely medical assistance. These vehicles can save a lot of time,” he said. Another use for the vehicle is that the Forest officials can reach remote guard points more often, thus improving forest surveillance and protection. It can also be used to transport food, weapons and other required materials into such areas, said the minister.  The department has completed initial trial runs at Kuttampuzha in Ernakulam district and Vaguvari in Idukki district earlier this month. “The trials indicated that the vehicle is ideal for diverse forest conditions with a great capability in negotiating difficult terrain and steep inclines of up to 60 degrees. The staff were satisfied with the capability and utility of the vehicle. It will boost protection and, more importantly, the morale of the staff serving in thick forests,” said B S Corrie, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Development and Planning).