Kolkata: The state Forest department has collaborated with a non-government organisation SHER for providing portable LPG cylinders with stove to the license holding and law-abiding fishermen identified by Sunderban Tiger Reserve (STR) to mitigate the human-tiger conflict. The move assumes significance with reports of tiger – human conflict. In the last fifteen days there has been two deaths of fishermen in tiger attacks when they had gone for fishing. 25 fishermen from Bagna and Jhingakhali range at Basirhat Division of STR were handed over cylinders on Sunday. "We in collaboration with SHER have arranged for 100 such portable cylinders which will be soon distributed among the fishermen. They can carry these with them for cooking purpose when they venture for fishing activities in the buffer area of the forest. The cylinders have been provided along with a customised tough metal case to avoid the toppling over of utensils on choppy rivers. The fire in the burner will also not get extinguished while they cook," said Tapas Das, Field Director STR. The total beneficiaries are 500. The group of fishermen with their boat registered with STR leave for fishing inside the forest for days where they need to cook on their earthen stove inside boat for their daily survival. The traditional earthen stove is run on dry firewood, in the wet and humid climate condition of Sundarban landscape, it is really tough and unlikely to get dry fuelwood for cooking. The circumstance forces them to enter the forest to get dry fuelwood that makes them vulnerable to tiger attack. "This will enable them to cook inside the boat without feeling the necessity of getting down on forest land and there will hardly be human-tiger conflicts," said Joydip Kundu, general secretary SHER.

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