Patna, June 17: Expressing concern over the recent poaching of a female rhino in Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has asked the state forest department to increase the number of patrolling posts along the 100-km-long India-Nepal border separating the VTR from Chitwan National Park of Nepal.

The directive was issued during a meeting convened by NTCA in Delhi on June 15. NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal chaired the meet in which Bihar chief wildlife warden Mithilesh Kumar and VTR director J.P. Gupta took part.

“NTCA wants to double the number of patrolling checkposts from the existing four and improve co-ordination with Sashastra Seema Bal, which too has set up seven checkposts along the border,” Kumar told The Telegraph today.

The poachers involved in rhino poaching in VTR are suspected to have come from Nepal and escaped with the horn of the rhino after committing the crime.

Apart from increasing the number of checkposts, NTCA wants to equip the field officials with wireless sets, more patrolling vehicles and arms so that they could take on the challenges from poachers effectively.

At present, only the range offices at Madanpur, Manguraha, Chiutaha, Valmiki Nagar, Raghia, Ganauli, Harnatar and Govardhana have wireless sets. Those patrolling the forest areas do not have this facility. Similarly, VTR is the only tiger reserve of the country where field officials have not been equipped with arms.

“We will soon send a detailed proposal to NTCA for more wireless sets, patrolling vehicles as well as for setting up additional checkposts,” Kumar said.

Regarding arms to be given to field officials, Kumar said the department had already moved a proposal in this regard for government approval and once the approval from government would come, steps would be taken to provide self-loading rifles to select group of field officials.

“Before equipping these officials, a training programme would be organised so that field officials could use the arms effectively when required,” added Kumar.

Regarding the developments in the ongoing investigation in the rhino poaching case, Kumar said: “We have sent a formal request to the centre for getting this case inquired by the wildlife crime control bureau.”