After visiting the forester P.Govindan, who received pellet injuries when a gang of poachers opened fire at him in the Krishnagiri forests recently, at the Government Medical College Hospital here on Tuesday, the State Forest Minister N. Selvaraj, speaking to The Hindu, said that the “intention to kill” was a sin and the State would remain ‘zero-tolerant’ to poaching, which, he said, would be totally eliminated once the proposal for the modernisation package for the Department of Forests was cleared.

“Secretaries and Conservators of forest will shortly hold a high-level meeting with experts in the field to discuss these issues of vital importance,” the Minister said and pointed out that though modern equipment had already been given to the forest staff with vehicles fitted with GPS and night vision devises, the fact that poachers were carrying ultra sophisticated weapons had forced the department to go for further improvement. Already, forest guards in batches were undergoing training at the ‘Jungle Training School’ at Sathyamangalam in Erode district under the supervision of Special Task Force (STF).

Calling the recent mortality among a few protected animals as “isolated” and not due to ‘organised ones,’ he said the department had identified many ‘vulnerable’ points, which he said might be prone to frequent poaching. “These points will be brought under the anti-poaching watchers for close monitoring.”

These watchers were enlisted from the local tribal and hill dwellers’ groups who knew the terrain with its flora and fauna very intimately. Many of them were already on duty in Mudumalai and Talaimalai areas and would shortly be appointed in other forest ranges too.

Saying that the State will be ‘ruthless’ against poachers, the Minister however claimed that poaching was not that alarming in Tamil Nadu as in other states. “Still we will not be lethargic in our drive against poaching and tree felling,” Selvaraj added.

Poachers’ incursions from the neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka with which Tamil Nadu share its borders were far and few between since the STF had been carrying out sustained sorties deep inside the jungles against the fears of possible naxal intrusion.

The forest ranges that abet urban habitations would be given special mention with toned-up vigil.

“Even our eco-tourists have been firmly but gently told not to carry any sort of fire arms and weapons once they enter our forest ranges,” Mr. Selvaraj said.