Forest officials to chalk out action plan for plastic free tiger reserves

This apart, officials from the two States also discussed on border issues, steps to be taken for curbing illegal fishing and translocation of Indian Gaur into the respective reserves.

Hyderabad: With a total ban to be imposed on single use plastic, multi-layer plastic and pet bottles of one litre and below in Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) from July 1 this year, officials of ATR and Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) discussed the measures to be adopted for effective implementation.

This apart, officials from the two States also discussed on border issues, steps to be taken for curbing illegal fishing and translocation of Indian Gaur into the respective reserves.

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From Telangana, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) RM Dobriyal and from Andhra Pradesh, PCCF Chiranjeevi Chowdary led the teams in the meeting held at Domalpenta on Sunday. The officials explored the measures for effective implementation of single use plastic ban.

Emphasis was laid on creating awareness among visitors and devotees trekking to Srisailam, Ishta Kameshwari and Saleshwaram temples in the deep forests on the need to use glass bottles.

From the department side, arrangements would be made to supply drinking water at different locations. This apart, shopkeepers would be asked to ensure provision of glass water bottles and facilitating the users to exchange them at any shops, as was being done in Tirumala, Dobriyal said.

This apart, possibilities of establishing RO plants to ensure sufficient supply of drinking water was also discussed. At the Andhra Pradesh end, officials have already started frisking visitors to check use of single use plastic and in Telangana also, the exercise would commence shortly, he said.

In addition to this issue, there were discussions on the measures to be adopted for curbing illegal fishing in River Krishna on either side. Though locals are permitted for fishing, people from different places were setting up artificial habitations and indulging in commercial fishing practices. To this effect, officials from both the States have decided to intensify river patrolling.

They also decided to share information mutually on suspicious movement of people on the border areas and initiate measures accordingly.