Baripada, Feb. 17: Authorities of the Similipal Tiger Reserve plan to introduce e-patrolling in the core as well as buffer region of the sanctuary to track patrolling activities of the deployed forest personnel.

The blueprint for the project has been prepared and will be implemented after approval of the forest department authorities.

Under the system, each patrolling group head will be given a global positioning system-enabled android phone set, through which the position of the patrolling guards will be known to the base station.

The patrolling parties can also send images through the phones.

"Efforts are on to strengthen scientific patrolling in the tiger reserve region. Factual data can be received from the ground. After success of the pilot project the system will be extended to the whole tiger reserve area," said field director H.K. Bist.

Under the system, once the set is switched on, signals will be automatically transmitted every 20 minutes.

"Through the system, the authorities can also know the position of fire line that occurs accidentally inside the forest. It will be easy to control the fire after knowing its position and direction," said honorary wildlife warden Bhanoomitra Acharya.

Deputy director of the reserve Ajit Satpathy said: "The position of any patrolling group will be known through the system. The distance covered by them, direction and the portion they left can also be tracked."

A Bangalore-based software company, which has experience in the particular field, has been entrusted with the networking system. About Rs 30 lakh will be spent on this project. The company has done the same work for the Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka.

The tiger reserve will be first sanctuary in the state in introducing this electronic tracking system.

The reserve has set up 93 patrolling camps, including 62 in the core region, under 19 forest ranges. The authorities have decided to introduce the system within a month as a pilot project in the critical core pockets.