With Diwali just a day away and cracker sales seeing a gradual rise, the Coimbatore Division of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has issued a stern warning to people on forest fringes not to fire loud crackers.
Warning that those found lighting loud crackers close to the forest fringes would be fined immediately, officials said that the department staff would be on rounds in the villages during the week to curb violators.
According to senior officials from the Forest Department, the field staff and officials have been involved in various sensitisation programmes for the past one week covering more than 40 villages that are located in fringe areas.
All the seven rangers including of Periyanaickenpalayam, Mettupalayam, Thadagam, Coimbatore, Madukkarai, Bolampatti and Kaaramadai have been covered in the sensitisation programmes that involved distributing hand outs and also conducting large meetings with villagers.
“Usually, we conduct such programmes during the Diwali season and the villagers are advised to use crackers with less noise so that the animals in the forest are not disturbed,” said an official.
He further added that some villages are so close to the Reserve Forest that noise from the villages can be easily heard inside the reserve forest. If there is constant noise in the area, the animals may tend to move away into other areas which could also result in conflict.
Warning that those found lighting loud crackers close to the forest fringes would be fined immediately, officials said that the department staff would be on rounds in the villages during the week to curb violators.
According to senior officials from the Forest Department, the field staff and officials have been involved in various sensitisation programmes for the past one week covering more than 40 villages that are located in fringe areas.
All the seven rangers including of Periyanaickenpalayam, Mettupalayam, Thadagam, Coimbatore, Madukkarai, Bolampatti and Kaaramadai have been covered in the sensitisation programmes that involved distributing hand outs and also conducting large meetings with villagers.
“Usually, we conduct such programmes during the Diwali season and the villagers are advised to use crackers with less noise so that the animals in the forest are not disturbed,” said an official.
He further added that some villages are so close to the Reserve Forest that noise from the villages can be easily heard inside the reserve forest. If there is constant noise in the area, the animals may tend to move away into other areas which could also result in conflict.