Kolkata, Oct 3 (IANS): To deal with the frequent human-elephant conflicts in West Bengal, the state forest department on Monday flagged off four specialised squad vehicles to boost the ground staff's mobility to tackle the issue.
"Four specialised vehicles have been procured and retrofitted and are being deployed to make the ground staff more equipped to deal with the situation and to increase their mobility. These vehicles are called 'Airawat'," P. Vyas, Bengal's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, told the media here.
He said the high quality vehicles (Tata SFC 407-Troop carrier) with four-wheel drive can move into difficult terrains and are equipped with modern gadgets and accessories.
"There will be equipments such as tranquilliser guns, medicines, capture nets and communication equipments to the staff, and (the vehicle) comes with independent power supply as well," Vyas added.