13 Nov : Fifty-three offence cases have been booked against encroachment and felling of trees in the Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary of Andhra Pradesh. As per the information from the State Government, a total number of 13246 trees have been felled by the encroachers over an area of 399 ha in the Sanctuary during July 2007 to October 2007. 420 persons were also arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
The Government has taken strict steps against the guilty persons. District Administration and Police Force have been involved to prevent the destruction of forests’ area in the region. Besides this, local tribals have been engaged as protection watchers for the protection of the forests. Awareness campaigns have been organized for sensitizing the villagers about the need for the protecting forest and wildlife. Vehicular movement is restricted from 9 00 PM to 6 00 AM in the Sanctuary. No incidents of poaching have been reported during the period, the state government claims.