"But it's up to the park managers to decide on the participation of individuals. I won't interfere in this matter," Khetarpal told TOI on Tuesday.
The exercise, which was to start earlier from February 2 to 7, will now be held between February 10 and 17 in tiger reserves and their buffer areas, and sanctuaries and national parks.
Khetarpal had told TOI in January that only volunteers with wildlife and genuine credentials would be allowed to take part in the monitoring. On Monday, TOI received several calls from wildlife buffs on being denied participation by park managers.
The wildlife chief said the department has enough staff to conduct the exercise. "The real field work can be done in a better way by forest staffers who are familiar with the areas. It's also an opportunity for the new forest recruits to learn techniques," he said. Read the full report here.
Source: Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN, Nagpur.
