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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Tiger reserve tag likely for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary TNN

Read More:Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar|Adilabad District


HYDERABAD: Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar on Monday said that the Centre had in principle agreed to accord tiger reserve status for Kawwal wildlife sanctuary in Adilabad district.

Kawwal wildlife sanctuary, situated 260 km from here, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1965 and is the oldest one in the state. This would be the second tiger reserve in the state after the Nagarjunasagar tiger reserve.

The Speaker, who is the chairman of AP legislature committee on wildlife and forests, said the central and state governments had promptly responded to their pleas on this issue. He said a request to develop the santuary at a cost of Rs 25 crore has been forwarded to the Centre.

The Speaker said nearly 62 families that would be affected will be relocated with proper relief and rehabilitation measures.

Couple of months back, animal rights activist Amala Akkineni called on Manohar urging him to take steps to ensure that the tiger habitat in Kawwal wildlife sanctuary was protected.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Tiger-reserve-tag-likely-for-Kawwal-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/8930413.cms

Tadoba to remain closed partially Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN

NAGPUR: The meeting called on Monday to discuss the closure of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) during the rainy season seems to have ended up without any final decision being taken by the chief wildlife warden S K Khetarpal. Repeated attempts to contact Khetarpal proved futile.

However, it is learnt that Tadoba would not remain completely closed. The PCCF (wildlife) seems to have made up his mind to keep the 15-km tar road patch from Moharli to Tadoba open for tourists.

Field director VK Sinha has been asked to provide data of vehicles of private and tour operators to know whether stakeholders stand to lose anything. He will be submitting the carrying capacity in this patch and only that many vehicles will then be allowed.

It could not be ascertained if vehicles from other Kolara and Kolsa gates would be allowed.

Forest, NHAI officials to visit site again: The talks between the wildlife wing officials and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday came to naught with no solution on saving the tiger corridor between Navegaon and Nagzira due to four-laning.

While forest officials stuck to their demand of constructing open span bridges (flyovers) in five vulnerable patches on NH6, the NHAI consultant and retired chief wildlife warden RN Indurkar was firm that the design suggested by him for underpasses for wildlife was suitable.

Khetarpal is learnt to have asked forest officials to make another site visit to the vulnerable patches and submit a report. Accordingly, a team will now visit the spots on June 30. Based on its report, Khetarpal will send his comments to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

Monday's meeting was attended by additional PCCFs AK Saxena, Nand Kishore, NHAI project director Naresh Wadetwar, chief conservator (CCF) for Nagpur Circle C R Gajbhiye and deputy conservator (DyCF) Mukesh Ganatra, ACF Kishore Mishrikotkar and Prafulla Bhamburkar, manager of WTI.

The patches where flyovers or underpasses need to be constructed constitute most important corridor vital for the movement of wild animals. "It is back to square one now as the process will be started from zero. The mitigation measures (culvert boxes) proposed by the NHAI do not at all satisfy the needs of the wild animals," said Bhamburkar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Tadoba-to-remain-closed-partially/articleshow/8930910.cms

Fire incidents dip in the Melghat tiger reserve TNN

AMRAVATI: Due to the efforts of the officials and employees, incidents of fire have dropped considerably in the Melghat tiger reserve.

Every year, the flora and fauna of the reserve gets damaged because of summer fires. In 2007, around 15,159 hectares (7.5%) was destroyed. This year, the figure has come down to 6485.5 hectares (3.2%).

Generally, the high temperature in summer leads to forest fires but human interference too plays a part. Taking note of the alarming rise in fire incidents, the PCCF of Nagpur had in 2005 constituted a committee to curb the menace. The committee had given certain suggestions which were implemented.

Since the last two years, director of the Melghat Tiger Project, AK Mishra too has been working hard. Fire control squads comprising labourers and regional employees were formed. The department also provided equipment to fight the fires.

When the officials learnt that tribals were setting parts of the jungle afire to extract gum from trees, the department imposed a ban on the practice in the Ambarawa sanctuary. The department also came down on employees remaining absent during the fire season.

Talking to ToI, Mishra said that incidents of fire in Melghat was a matter of concern as animals and plants were getting destroyed.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Fire-incidents-dip-in-the-Melghat-tiger-reserve/articleshow/8917877.cms

Tourism takes a plunge in Red-hit Simlipal reserve, TNN

BARIPADA: Tourist flow to the famous tiger abode in Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) has nosedived from 20,743 in 2008-09 to 9,712 in 2010-11.


A series of Maoist attacks in Simlipal on March 28, 2009 kept the tiger reserve off tourist bounds from March 29, 2009 to December 21, 2010. The forest department, however, decided to keep the reserve open for day tourism only from December 16, 2010 with strict instructions to the visitor to leave the area before evening.


The park was closed to visitors on June 16 due to monsoon, thus allowing only 181 days for the visitors to enjoy the vibrant nature in its pristine glory in Simlipal from December 16, 2010 to June 15, 2011.


The collection of revenue from wildlife tourism in Simlipal from a record Rs.26,98,952 collected in 2008-09 dropped to Rs 6,84,020 too during 2010-11, as disclosed at the sixth general body meeting of the Simlipal Eco- tourism Society (SES) held at Baripada on Saturday afternoon under the presidentship of H S Upadhyay, field director of the STR-cum-president of the society.


The revenue from wildlife tourism dropped by nearly rupees twenty lakhs, as there was a decline in the number of foreign tourists too fom 182 in 2008-09 to only 49 during the 2010-2011 tourism season.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/bhubaneswar/Tourism-takes-a-plunge-in-Red-hit-Simlipal-reserve/articleshow/8918091.cms