MUMBAI, April 26 -- The state government has cleared a proposal to establish a Maharashtra State Wildlife Crime Control Cell to tackle wildlife offences in a more coordinated and effective manner. The plan was approved by the standing committee of the state wildlife board last month, with minutes finalised recently. The minutes note that while wildlife protection efforts have improved and populations have risen in state, crimes such as poaching, illegal hunting and wildlife trade have become more organised and complex. This has created the need for a specialised, intelligence-led unit with trained staff, better coordination and modern tools. The proposed Cell will handle serious cases spanning multiple forest divisions, other states and even international networks. It will maintain a database of offences and offenders. It will also coordinate with other agencies. Headquartered in Nagpur under the Chief Wildlife Warden, the Cell will include one Divisional Forest Officer, one Assistant Conservator of Forests, two Range Forest Officers, two Foresters and five Forest Guards, mostly through redeployment. Tadoba Andhari, Pench and Melghat currently relies on patrol-focused protection forces. "The Cell will strengthen enforcement through intelligence-led action," said Dr Anish Andheria, chief, Wildlife Conservation Trust....