Special Forest Task Force of N Bengal disbanded

Darjeeling: The Special Task Force of the forest department for North Bengal has been disbanded. This was done as per orders of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) who is also Head of Forest Forces, Government of West

Bengal.

Elaborating on this, VK Sood, Additional PCCF (North Bengal) talking to Millennium Post stated "This task force was constituted in 2017 as a special centralized force working in North Bengal districts to tackle cases relating to wildlife, man animal conflict and to check illegal activities and trade relating to wildlife and forest.

Now each forest range has squads capable of handling such issues. Therefore this task force has been dissolved."

In another incident a 15-year- old girl was mauled by a leopard in the plains of the

Darjeeling district on Wednesday. The incident occurred at Kajigaj in Bidhannagar under the Phansidewa block of the Darjeeling district.

15-year-old Minati Pahan was plucking leaves in a small tea grower's garden when the leopard pounced on her.

Others came to her rescue and freed her from the leopard. She was then rushed to the Bidhannagar Primary Health Centre. The girl received stitches on her head and shoulders. She was then referred to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Siliguri.

The area was in the grip of panic following the incident. Police and forest personnel arrived at the spot. Locals have demanded that the leopard be caged using animal bait or captured with a net.