Now, forest officials will not be immediately arrested if any poacher is killed or injured during exchange of fire. Instead, they will face magisterial enquiry and immunity will be granted if it is proved that the shooting took place in self-defence. This has now paved the way for setting up the STPF, for which around Rs 1 crore has been allocated on an annual basis.

This has come as a relief for forest department officials who were forced to patrol reserved areas with just canes, which were proving highly ineffective against armed poachers.

Officers who faced illegal animal hunters with guns were, meanwhile, ending up behind bars for years together, with their careers and lives ruined in lengthy trials. Therefore, when the state government announced to set up a Special Tiger Protection Force, the forest department demanded that they be allowed to fight the poachers with better weapons. About 24 tigers were killed last year.

Now, with the funds and the added immunity, forest department can now equip its workforce with the latest weaponry to fight against poachers without any fear of unnecessary harassment from police.

Principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden, SS Sharma told TOI, "My only demand was to empower the forest force against the poachers. We cannot fight against well-armed poachers with canes. The forest employees too should be allowed to shoot in self-defence. This hurdle has finally been removed and now the department will soon set up the STPF."

When asked about the possibility of the new 'immunity' being misused, Sharma said there was less chance of this as the immunity was not absolute. "The forest department does not get absolute immunity under CrPC 197 (3). They will have to face magisterial enquiry for incidents of shoot-out. If proven guilty, the accused forest employee will certainly face punishment." Hes added that this provision will, however, certainly unnerve poachers who had been having a field day till now against unarmed forest employees.

Director of Rajaji National Park (RNP), SP Subudhi, said, "Two years ago, forest employees were arrested by the police when they opened fire on poachers in self-defence in RNP where one poacher was killed in the shoot-out. The foresters are now facing a long-drawn legal battle and their careers are also finished. So, the notification of the state government in this regard is a big milestone in further strengthening the hands of forest workforce against poachers."

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had directed 13 tiger-populated states in the country to form STPF for which it had offered to provide funds. However, the first instalment of the fund lapsed as the state could not set up the tiger protection force despite issuing a government order to this effect in 2010.

Former director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, Ranjan Mishra, said the STPF will primarily work to check anti-poaching activities in and around CTR and will be headed by an additional chief conservator of forests.

There will be three rangers, officers of sub-divisional level on deputation, under him. A team of six foresters and 30 forest guards will work under one range officer. People of local community such as Gujjars will be granted 30% reservation in the recruitment for the position of forest guard, Mishra said.

"The locals are well versed about the forest area and the movement of poachers as well. They will prove to be big assets for the STPF," he added.