Maharashtra: Women being trained to become tiger safari vehicle drivers

Chandrapur: The safari at Maharashtra's renowned Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) will soon get women vehicle drivers as part of a move by the forest department to provide employment to those living in nearby villages, an official said.

The first batch of 30 women, many of them tribals, started training on Sunday and they will be given driving licences on successful completion of the course, the official said on Monday.

"The first phase of this project was launched at Khutwanda village in Tadoba forest range of Chandrapur. Women from Khutwanda, Ghosri, Sitarampeth attended the event. Later, villages like Kolara, Satara, Brahmangaon, Bhamtedi, Kondegaon and Moharli will also be included," he said.

"The training would provide employment to women in the vicinity of TATR and make them self-reliant. All the training expenses will be borne by the TATR. For the first batch, we had received 84 applications. The scheme is getting a good response," the official said.

A private firm will provide driving lessons to the selected women after which their skills will be tested on the ground by forest department officials, he said.

The project, first of its kind in the state, is the brainchild of TATR Field Director and Conservator of Forests Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, the official said.

"We spoke to villagers to create awareness about this project and emphasised the employment opportunity has come about due to the presence of tigers. They were told that, therefore, they should respect wildlife," the official said.