Hills impact wildlife works in Palamu Tiger Reserve

Two hills in tiger reserve Palamu count much. The hills are Burha Pahar and Jaigir Pahar. Burha pahar is ‘notorious’ while Jaigir pahar is “submissive’. 

Burha pahar is in Kutku range of North division while Jaigir Pahar is in the South division of Garu range.

Both the hills become temporary or permanent shelter of the Maoists but it is the Burha pahar which always hits Nation’s headlines reminded sources. Jaigir pahar is relatively less gun fighting in comparison to Burha pahar where naxals Ops with various Codes  occur off and on.

Burha pahar is in news not for any Maoists’ reason, but here the PTR authorities have disbanded their tiger estimation works for reasons of safety and security of PTR personnel engaged in this work here, as this Burha pahar comes under Kutku range of North division of PTR and Maoists address is very often of this pahar.

A K Mishra deputy director North division of PTR said, “under Kutku range Burha pahar comes and this range has 22 sub beats which were to be trailed by our team to locate and find out signs of the movement or passage of the tigers like its pug marks, fall of hair if any, scat etc.”

However he said, “out of these 22 sub beats, our team trailed on 16 sub beats only as the six that were left out, are either in close proximity of the Burha pahar or are on its top surface, where conducting tiger estimation is just too hazardous and hence 6 sub beats were left out in the larger interest of the members of the PTR drafted for this estimation in Kutku range.

Sources said Maoists have laid a siege to Burha pahar through a series of land mines and none has forgotten how a PTR elephant lost its life when its leg fell on the land mines here.

On the other hand Jaigir pahar is free and here has gone the tiger estimation said deputy director South division M K Mahaling.

Mahaling said, “this hill has not posed any serious problem to us in this current work of estimation of tiger.”

However, he said the security forces have refused permission to PTR teams to go for estimation of tiger in Latu and Nawa Toli forest of the Bareysarn range. Latu and Nawa Toli fall under the compartment 5 and 6 of this Bareysarn range. Bareysarn ranger Bhola Prasad has intimated this security forces ban on teams to him added Mahaling.

It is All India Tiger Estimation going on in various tiger reserves in the country and here in PTR it has taken off on April 12 where for three days PTR teams trailed on the trodden paths made by the footfall of the villagers and then are in use by wild life too to track down signs of tigers

Sources said the no to estimation in Latu and Nawa Toli by security forces and disbanding of the same work by PTR people on their own in areas close to Burha Pahar under Kutku range in 6 sub beats here tell the hardships and risks that PTR people have here in this tiger reserve.