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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

J''khand govt plans strategies to increase tigers in Palamau

Ranchi, Nov 2 (PTI) Alarmed over depletion of tiger population in Palamau Tiger Reserve, the Jharkhand government today said it will chalk out strategies for conservation of the big cats.
"This is an alarm bell for us. The number of tigers in PTR has definitely been reduced...A meeting at my level has been convened to draw up an action plan for the conservation of the endangered species," Jharkhand chief secretary A K Singh told reporters here.
According to official data, the number of tigers in PTR has gone down to six from 17 in 2007.
However, the positive side is that the situation in Palamau is not as worse as in Sariska, Singh said.
"We will not let Palamau become a (second) Sariska. The government will take whatever steps required to increase the number of the big cats," he said.
Set up in 1973, PTR had 44 tigers in 1993, 49 in 1994, 50 in 1995, 41 in 1996 and 44 in 1997.

CJM dismisses Ranthambore noise pollution case

JAIPUR: The chief judicial magistrate at Sawai Madhopur on Tuesday dismissed a petition alleging violation of wildlife, environment and civic laws during the wedding of celebrity couple Russell Brand and Katy Perry held recently at Ranthambore.

The petition was filed by Ranthambore Park Bachao Samiti through its president and local lawyer Akshay Sharma. It was alleged that the forest officials and the district administration officials overlooked violations of noise and air pollution and different sections of the Wildlife Protection Act by the star couple and their guests during their stay at the tiger reserve.

The Samiti has now decided to move a revision petition before a higher court in an effort to bring the culprits to justice. "It's unfortunate that before dismissing it, the magistrate didn't even consider it proper to get the complaint investigated first," Sharma told TOI while reacting to the court decision. "I'll take the petition to the district judge tomorrow (Wednesday)," he asserted, adding that the Samiti would never cease fighting for the protection of Ranthambore tigers.

While arguing the petition before the chief judicial magistrate on October 31, Sharma accused the forest officials of causing territorial fights among the tigers just to please high-profile visitors and make illegal money. The Samiti holds the forest officials responsible for the death of a three-year-old male tiger, T-36, killed in a territorial fight with an older tiger, T-42. The fight was linked to the Russell-Katy marriage and the forest officials were accused of driving the big cats from their territories towards the celebrity couple's place of stay at a resort inside the national park.

The Samiti also accused the couple of breaking the rules against loud music after 10 pm, smoking, consuming liquor and carrying firearms in the forest area, disturbing the endangered animals, changing movement routes assigned to them by the forest authorities and getting into a scuffle with the paparazzi inside the park and thereby risking human lives in the tigers reserve.

Read more: CJM dismisses Ranthambore noise pollution case - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/CJM-dismisses-Ranthambore-noise-pollution-case/articleshow/6861564.cms#ixzz14D3olg5s