The Tamil Nadu Police and State Forest Department have now directed the villagers of the Jawadhu hills to surrender all unlicensed and country-made guns till set September 30.
The move comes after three persons were electrocuted to death due to illegal fencing and the recovery of a country-made gun in Yelagiri hills near Jolarpet in Tamil Nadu’s Tirupattur district.
The recovery of the firearm indicated that the trio was poaching at the time of the incident.
The Forest Department said that if the firearms and country-made guns are surrendered before Sep 30, no cases would be filed for possessing unlicensed arms and there won’t be any penalty.
If unlicensed arms are found in possession of anyone after the deadline ends, police will register a case and heavy fines will be levied.
Forest Department officials have already met the village elders and asked them to coordinate with the farmers as well as those involved in poaching to surrender their firearms -mostly illegal and locally made.
On the Tirupattur side of the Jawadhu hills, Pudur Nadu, Nellivasal Nadu, Pungampattu Nadu, and 32 remote hamlets are present. The message was conveyed to a group of heads of three panchayaths.
A senior official of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department told IANS that the Tirupattur Police officials along with the village and taluk officers were telling village elders to communicate to those holding these firearms to surrender these country-made guns at public places like temples so that they need not appear before the police and that their identities won’t be revealed.
Forest Department Officials said at present, there was no data on the number of illegal arms in the Jawadhu hill area. However, the district has 177 licensed guns which were surrendered before the LokSabha elections.
Police officers said that the tribals of this region have been possessing these country-made guns since Independence.
They use these guns for hunting purposes. and to guard themselves from wild animals and theft.
However, due to better roads and transport systems in the areas, there is no need to possess illegal arms today, the police added.