K'taka Forest Dept. to Address Cattle Grazing in MM Hills with CSR Funds

To address the issue of cattle grazing inside forests, particularly in Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, the Karnataka Forest Department is taking the CSR fund route to empower farmers.

- BOSKY KHANNA @ Bengaluru

As a pilot project, 10 families residing around MM Hills have been selected and given hybrid cattle breeds like Jersey and Holstein Friesian for dairy activities. They have also been made to sign an undertaking that they will not take their cattle for grazing inside forests, and if found doing so, action will be initiated against them under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Forest Act. The families selected worked as laborers for Tamil Nadu cattle owners, who would take cattle for grazing inside the forest, said former deputy conservator of forests, MM Hills, G Santosh Kumar, who was posted in MM H