Well after yesterday's news, Indian Express today carried the following report. Apart from the translocation of new tigers which has been widely reported an important step towards making the system more effective is the move to give the NTCA more teeth. As the story says, NTCA has so far acted as an advisory body with no definite say in forest conervation affairs which is state subject. With the proposal to bring NTCA member secretary at par with the Chief Wildlife Warden at the state level, state governments can not ignore NTCA dictats any more. NTCA was set up by the Prime Minister after the Siriska disaster and its efforts so far to galvanise tiger conservation efforts hav been mixed at best what with the state governments not treating the matter with the priority it deserves. With the new evnironment minister making all the right noises within days of taking over, the green lobby clearly sees new hope.
Centre clears translocation of 4 big cats to Panna
The states ignoring NTCA’s warnings is a common occurrence since wildlife is a concurrent subject. This is now set to end as the Cabinet has okayed bringing the position of NTCA member secretary at par with the Chief Wildlife Warden at the state-level. “This will strengthen the NTCA’s position,” Ramesh told The Indian Express. In the past, states have often ignored NTCA advisories on issues like transfer of officials, culling of maneaters and notifying buffer zones for tiger reserves. This had reduced the NTCA to little more than a fund-giving body for the Centrally sponsored Project Tiger scheme.
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