As wildlife crime has spread its tentacles across the country threatening endangered species, the Bureau is getting due importance from the government.
In a move that would go a long way in curbing wildlife crime, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has for the first time been given Rs10 lakhs under the head of "secret service fund" to focus on intelligence gathering.
The sanction of this long-awaited fund has brought the WCCB on par with other premier investigative agencies such as CBI and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) which has been regularly receiving the money under the head to execute functions such as collecting intelligence inputs.
"This is in keeping with the Bureau's role as an intelligence body, to focus on backward and forward linkages to combat organised willdife smugglers and poachers instead of making a seizure here and there," a senior environment official told PTI.
"This was a long over-due demand and we hope the WCCB would use the money effectively for the purpose in developing sources and informers to bust organised crime," wildlife expert Ashok Kumar from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said.
As wildlife crime has spread its tentacles across the country threatening endangered species, the Bureau is getting due importance from the government which is taking steps to strengthen its human resources.
The Bureau recently got three assistant directors while out of 25 constables, seven have already joined.
Similarly, the process of appointing seven inspectors is on to strengthen enforcement at the international trade exit points.
This is also the first time that the annual budget of the Bureau, which was set up in 2008 at the behest of prime minister Manmohan Singh to strengthen anti-poaching activities, has been enhanced to Rs4 crore against Rs60 lakhs last year.
However, absence of technical survillence continues to cripple the agency which has to depend on other enforcement agencies for help after zeroing on the criminals who are using high-tech facilities such as computers and transmitters.
Its demand for technical surveillance to check organized crime in wildlife trade is yet to be met and officials feel once it happens it would be easier for them to develop intelligence input and nab the actual culprit, usually out of reach and powerful.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}