Tiger reserves to upload data on deaths, seizures

The most contentious issue between the Centre and the state on tiger conservation — the accurate reporting of tiger deaths and details of tiger poaching — is going to become live public information.

Tiger reserve directors and chief wildlife wardens will now have to key in crucial, instantaneous information on tiger deaths, seizure or recovery of poached tiger parts, and post-mortem results on a National software system. The goal is to lift the veil of secrecy on tiger deaths, initiate investigations and take quick action at the central level.

The national website, tigernet.nic.in, to be launched on Wednesday, will also be the first consolidated database on wildlife crime related to tiger and other protected species within the tiger reserve.

Tiger deaths and honesty in reporting them to the Centre by state tiger reserves has been a sticky issue. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has in the past found carcasses of tigers, either found poached or dead due to natural circumstances, disposed of hastily without postmortems or investigations of poaching links. Consider this: NGO Wildlife Protection Society of India reported 84 tiger deaths, by both natural and poaching causes, in 2009-10. States however have reported deaths of 59 tigers up to November 2009. On Tuesday, a tigress was found dead in Corbett, the third in a series of deaths.

“We were at a situation when field reports, official information, and reports by NGOs were at odds with each other. Whether a tiger has indeed died or if it has died due to poisoning or poaching needs to be known to us. There was a great level of secrecy. This system will institutionalize reporting on a national level,” said a senior NTCA official.

The software has been developed with NGO TRAFFIC India. “The software will also send automatic reminders to official staff to upload details like post-mortem reports after they have reported tiger deaths. The other details will be things like location of tiger carcass, visible marks of injury, etc,” he said. “The idea is also to do away with the system of sending letters and faxes on tiger deaths which is archaic. We also will be able to spot a problem on a landscape level, and not just on a tiger reserve level.”

The NTCA has also recently released money to tiger reserves for buying freezers in order to keep tiger bodies in cold storage to do proper post-mortems.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tiger-reserves-to-upload-data-on-deaths-seizures/564022/2

Centre to come up with plan to save Sunderbans

New Delhi The Centre is likely to chalk out a detailed action plan to save the Sunderbans, one of the most threatened deltas and the largest mangrove forests in the world, from the impact of climate change.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh will visit the Sunderbans on January 12 to look into its protection and long-term ecological sustainability. “It is a unique challenge as far as the Sunderbans are concerned because of their vulnerability to climate change and Alia-like hurricanes. I will visit there on January 12 to see what we can do to combat the situation,” Ramesh said on the sidelines of a function on Monday.

The visit is in response to a constant reminder from the West Bengal government to the Centre on increased cyclonic activities and tidal amplitude, besides accelerated erosion leading to disappearance of certainislands like Ghoramara, which threatens the existence of Sunderbans.

Ramesh said a national institute for mangrove research was being established in the Sunderban area to provide a scientific approach in preserving the country’s mangroves.

He also said the vulnerability of sea-facing inhabited islands in the mangrove needed to be evaluated, besides construction of bridges to provide for evacuation in case of a sea-rise situation or Alia-like hurricanes in the future.

Sunderbans are home to 43 lakh people, who inhabit 52 non-forest islands.

It is also the biggest mangrove tiger habitat, comprising 104-odd islands and covering an area of 3,500 square kms.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/centre-to-come-up-with-plan-to-save-sunderbans/564001/

NGOs will be allowed during tiger census

NAGPUR: The forest department has geared up for the exercise (2009-10) to collect data to estimate tigers, co-predators, prey and their habitat.

In one of the biggest training and sensitisation programmes on the revised methodology of line transect method which started on Tuesday, at least 90 officials including IFS officials, divisional forest officers (DFOs), assistant conservators (ACFs), range forest officers (RFOs), foresters and guards were sensitised. Most of the field staff was from Nagpur Territorial Circle comprising Wardha, Gondia, Bhandara and Nagpur Divisions.

The presentation on new tiger estimation technique was made by Mohan Jha, field director of Pench National Park and Tiger Reserve, while how to lay transects, identification of grass, biotic interference, collection of data and other aspects were explained by assistant conservator forests (ACFs) Kishore Mishrikotkar and G K Vashisht. On January 6, practical training of field staff on how to collect data will be held in Hingna Forest Range, near Nagpur.

Meanwhile, the department has decided to seek help of wildlife buffs and physically fit volunteers and NGOs. Only interested individuals will be allowed to take part in the exercise to assist the forest staff. This aspect was missing from the scheduled programme announced earlier. Now the confusion has been cleared. The department will also take support from botanists who can be helpful in identifying plant and tree species.

Alok Kumar Joshi, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Maharashtra, has already issued a programme on December 31 to all the territorial and wildlife circles in the state.

According to the programme released by the PCCF, two-day training and sensitisation of deputy conservators (DyCFs) and assistant conservators (ACFs) has to be done by January 8 and for range forest officers (RFOs), round officers and forest guards it is January 15. Drawing of line transects in every beat will be taken up from January 15 to 20, and actual exercise will start from January 27.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/NGOs-will-be-allowed-during-tiger-census/articleshow/5414427.cms

New plan to protect wildlife along Nepal border

BAHRAICH: Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most sensitive protected areas in the state. The main reason is the porous Indo-Nepal

There is no forest left on the Nepalese side. They have cut the forests a few decades back. It was always difficult for the forest staff to tackle the pressure mounted from Nepalese side in the past. Illicit felling and poaching use to be a great problem in these areas.

Divisional forest officer (Wildlife) RK Singh told TOI that deployment of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on the border has certainly reduced the pressure but still there is a need of more manpower support to the forest department in order to face such problems effectively.

The DFO said that recently the Union government and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) decided to deploy Tiger Protection Force (TPF) in all tiger reserves of the country. In the initial phase, it had been decided that ex-armymen and local villagers will be deployed for this purpose. "In Katarniaghat, we deployed the Tiger Protection Force in February of 2008 and the results are encouraging," he added.

He said, "We have got extra manpower which is available round-the-clock for patrolling and other preventive works. The guns, guards, vehicle and local youth have given an edge to the protection strategy in the division. Recently, in an encounter with Nepalese poachers, we could arrest four persons with a loaded gun. The forest guards and the Tiger Protection Force were patrolling in the border area and got information from a `mukhbir' that some poachers are planning to enter the forest area. The `gadabandi' was done and in an encounter, the poachers were apprehended."

He said that guns and guards matter a lot when it comes to protecting the dwindling wildlife. The deployment of TPF is helpful for the field staff, the DFO added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/New-plan-to-protect-wildlife-along-Nepal-border/articleshow/5414088.cms

Rajasthan to set up tiger conservation foundation

Jaipur, Jan 6 (PTI) The Rajasthan Government will set up a Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF) for preserving Sariska Wild Life Sanctuary near Alwar and the Ranthambhore National Park (RNP) in Sawaimadhopur.

The state cabinet today decided that the foundation would be represented by the government, forest department, NGOs and wildlife experts, an official spokesman said here.

The TCF would lay emphasis on conservation of biodiversity and strengthening of infrastructure and supply of water to acquatic flora.

The cabinet also approved amendment to the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

For introducing mediclaim policy-2009 for accredited journalists, the Rajasthan Patrakar and Sahityakar Kalyan Kosh Act 2001, and Rajasthan Advertisement Act, 2001 would be amended.

Later, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the government respected the judgement of the High Court declaring the Mathur Commission probing previous BJP government's alleged financial corruption and other bungling as "illegal".

http://www.ptinews.com/news/455965_Rajasthan-to-set-up-tiger-conservation-foundation

Tiger, tigress found dead in National Parks

United News of India Lakhimpur Kheri/Bijnor, Jan 6: A tiger and a tigress were found dead under mysterious circumstances near Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur Kheri district and Jim Corbett National Park situated near Bijnore district of Uttar Pradesh today. The carcass of the tiger was recovered from Sampoornanand locality at Paraspur village in Lakhimpur Kheri, police said. The wildlife officials are suspecting it to be a killing by unidentified hunters as the carcass sustained wound marks. Meanwhile, the carcass has been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar in Bareilly, for the post-mortem. In a similar incident, a tigress was found dead at Phulichand range. The wildlife experts said the tigress must have died in a clash with another tigers for their food. Since 1999, 31 tigers have died due to various reasons at Jim Corbett National Park.

17 states launch year-long tiger census

Seventeen tiger states have, for the first time, simultaneously launched a massive year-long wildlife census to come up with an accurate estimate of the tiger population in the country. The exercise christened “Monitoring tigers, co-predators, prey and their habitats” is being conducted employing the line-transact and camera-trapping method as opposed to the earlier pugmark and waterhole census.

Since the tiger fiasco in Sariska and Ranthambore in 2005, the government has decided to come out with more precise figures using the more accurate and scientific line transact method. The forest beat in each territory would be considered as the sampling unit and areas within the beat having maximum potential of tiger occupancy would be searched.

Trainings of senior officials from various states was completed in November-December 2009 and the recording of data is scheduled to begin this month and end by the first week of February. It will then be sent to NTCA where compilation of data will be done followed by analysis and interpretation. “The whole process is likely to be over by November when we are hoping to declare the results, including the number of animals, at the international seminar on tigers planned at Ranthambore,” Y V Jhala, senior scientist at Dehradun’s Wildlife Institute of India (WII), which is co-ordinating the massive effort, said.

Inaccuracy was known to creep in into the pugmark and waterhole census with alleged fudging of figures by state Forest Departments. “In the new method, our beat guards will be covering their beat along with two aides for about eight days. For the first three days, they will take round of the beat covering five km and registering GPS records of calls, feaces, pugmarks, hair, bones, kills and such other signs or actual intercepts of animals. The next two days will be for laying line transacts passing through different parts of the beat with maximum possibilities of encountering animals. It will be followed by fresh recordings along the transacts,” said Maharashtra Chief Conservator of Forest , A K Saxena.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/17-states-launch-year-long-tiger-census/564422

India fears China's Year of the Tiger could encourage poaching

Bombay News.Net
Thursday 7th January, 2010 (ANI)

New Delhi, Jan 7 : Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has said that the demand of tiger skins and bones could increase in 2010 as China observes the Year of the Tiger.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Ramesh said: "This year China is celebrating Year of the Tiger. We are concerned that because of this demand of the tiger parts would increase and it would promote poaching."

Ramesh also appreciated China issuing a series of the directives to prevent illegal trade of tiger parts.

"This is the first step taken by China and we are happy that China has agreed that it has an important role to play in tiger conservation," he said.

In India there are around 1,140 tigers left in the wild. Indian government has been taking several steps to save the big cats.

China has been under immense pressure from the international community to take steps to stop tiger farming and trade in tiger parts.

Govt projects may put endangered wildlife at stake

New Delhi: The year 2010 maybe the international year of biodiversity but India's biodiversity hotspots are facing an unprecedented onslaught. The Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife, under the Chairmanship of Minister Jairam Ramesh has recently cleared roads, dams and mining projects through national parks and sanctuaries – the last vestiges for endangered wildlife.

Minister of Environment, Jairam Ramesh who has cleared no less than 15 road, dam and mining projects inside India's National Parks and sanctuaries, may have sounded the death knell for India's most endangered wildlife. These include:

• A Limestone Mining Plant on the boundary ofRajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, one of the finest habitats for the Tiger.

• 65 Hectares of forest land to be chopped for 3 roads passing through Gangotri National Park, home to snow leopard, blue sheep and black bear

• Submergence of 1000 hectares of forest for a dam at Narasimha Wild Life Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, home to the critically endangered Jerdon Courser bird.

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• Diversion of 240 hectares of forest land for a 400 KV Transmission line and 21 hectares for an underground oil pipeline both at the Gujarat Wild Ass Sanctuary, only home to the Indian Wild Ass.

• Diversion of forest land for a high-power transmission line by Power Grid Corporation in Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, home to elephants, barking deer, sloth bears and leopards

• Diversion of forest land for road-widening by the Border Roads Organization in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttaranchal, home to the highly endangered musk deer.

•

Such Projects lead not only to more fatalities, they also damage long term survival and breeding patterns of wild animals.

Wild expert Belinda Wright said, “We have such few areas of prime forest land that are within our protect area network. And we just cannot afford to lose even an inch of them.”

However, Minister Jairam Ramesh disagrees.

Jairam said, “You are being unfair, you are being very selective. There are number of projects that have been put on hold or rejected. The job of my Ministry is not to say no all the time. My job is to find a balance between environment and development.”

National parks and wildlife sanctuaries form less than 4 per cent of India's land surface. In the International Year of biodiversity a complete halt on deforestation in these areas maybe the last hope of survival for India's endangered animals.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-projects-may-put-endangered-wildlife-at-stake/108372-3.html?from=tn

India's tiger count to take a beating

Mumbai: What is the population of tigers in India? 2010 is expected to throw up a realistic answer. The year will see forest departments across the country conduct an intense field data-collection exercise, which would be a departure from the usual tiger census. It will be the first time that forest machinery across the country, with guidance from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), will follow the WII manual to count tigers and their co-predators

“The new method is scientific and has less chance of fudging the outcome,” conversationalists said. According to them, the tiger population estimates might take a beating when the figures are released later this year.

Maharashtra will finish the data-collection process, which is called ‘Monitoring Tigers, co-predators, prey and their habitats’, in three-phases before the February first week deadline. “We have already started the process of training officers and beat guards and are making the ground preparation,” AK Saxena, chief conservator of forest (wildlife), said. Ten middle rank officers from the wildlife wing were trained for two days in Ranthambore in October, 2009, and they in turn trained the forest guards and their supervisors for the data-collection process, Saxena added.

More than 4,600 beat guards from 11 wildlife and four territorial circles, who will be manning an area of 5 square kilometres each, will trudge the state’s forests in a ten-day exercise later this month in the first phase of data-collection. The guards will use GPS devices to collect data and lay what is known as transects - a virtual 2-4 km line in beat area along which to look for the samples.

“Beat guards will sample for tigers and co-predators, ungulates, vegetation and human disturbance in the ten days,” Saxena said.
In the second phase, the WII experts will extrapolate the data that is received from all over the country. Then comes the third phase, in which the state forest departments would collect more evidence with camera traps, to help the WII and NTCA synthesise the analysis and draw an inference.

The WII and NTCA’s inference would depend on the authenticity and accuracy with which the beat guards report the data. “The chances of fudging the figures are less,” Nitin Desai, tiger conservationist from the Wildlife Protection Society of India, said. “The final figures are expected to be low.”

The exercise holds importance, conservationists said, because of the wide difference in the figures quoted by the WII and the forest departments of the respective states. In 2007, the WII said there were 1,411 tigers in the country when the combined total of the state forest departments stood at 3,000.

“The annual census focused on direct and quantitative evidence; this one also brings in qualitative data - such as the nature of habitat, the kind of trees, the human interference and other such factors that are important for policy formulations,” a forest official said.

Also, the state hasn’t held the tiger census for the last two years, for the precise reason that the WII rejected the existing method of conducting the tiger census. More than 80 tigers have been killed in one year - a fact expected to reflect in the outcome of this project. The three phases of data-collection, according to NTCA and WII, would be completed by March 2010.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_india-s-tiger-count-to-take-a-beating_1332212

Karnataka tigers to get special guards

BANGALORE: Karnataka will soon have a Special Tiger Protection Force (STP), in line with the forest paramilitary force, the state government’s action taken report on elephant conservation which was submitted in the High Court recently, states.

The government proposal for a special force to protect tigers has been approved by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Tribal people and villagers inhabiting within national park premises will also be part of the proposed STP. It will include one representative from the Central Police Force and other from the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the state government says in its action taken report.

As per the report, 90 posts will be filled with special tiger guards selected by direct recruitment, out of which 27 posts will be open to local tribals and villagers inhabiting inside the Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves. The 112-personnel force will also comprise one assistant of a Conservator of Forests, three Range Forest Officers and 18 Foresters. The Additional Director General of Police (Recruitment and Training), Bangalore, has agreed that the police department will be in a position to undertake training of these Special Tiger Guards at their Yelahanka training unit, the report indicates.

Recently, the government has given its go-ahead to recruit 37 elephant kawadies.

Forty-eight kawadies are already working as assistants to the mahouts.

Also, the government has started the recruitment process of 125 Range Forest Officers, 200 Foresters and 800 Forest Guards.

Compensation raised The government has enhanced the compensation amount payable for human injury from Rs 5,800 to Rs 45,000, depending on the case, and the crop damage compensation has been increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000. In cases of injuries, the government has decided to reimburse medical expenditure.

(This is the second part of the series that started on Jan 7, with “Jumbos to be hemmed in for conservation”)

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=State’s+tigers+to+get+special+guards&artid=H11E6CJEfFM=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&SEO=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==

One held for tiger death in Kheri, cops hunt for 3 others

One person was arrested in connection with the death of a tiger in Kheri district late on Wednesday night.

An inquiry is on to find out the role played by Uttam (40) — a resident of Paraspur village — in the incident. “While Uttam was arrested, his accomplices managed to flee,” said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) North Kheri, K K Singh.

The carcass of an eight-year-old male tiger was found in Paraspur area of north Kheri forest division on late Tuesday night. An iron trap, a mobile phone and electric wires were found near the spot.

The Forest department suspects the involvement of an organised gang of poachers in the incident. “We are interrogating Uttam’s links in Nepal and Bahraich area. Three others are suspected to be involved and we are trying to trace them,” said a senior Forest department official.

Representatives from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) visited the incident site on Thursday to assess the cause of the death. “The organs of the tiger, including kidneys, were found in a highly decomposed state. Samples of livers and lungs have been taken and we will take another couple of days to ascertain the cause of the death,” said a senior NTCA official.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/One-held-for-tiger-death-in-Kheri--cops-hunt-for-3-others/564931/

Govt refuses World Bank help for tiger conservation

NEW DELHI: The environment ministry has again said that it would not seek loans and financial support from World Bank to protect the tiger.

The ministry had, coinciding with the recent visit of World Bank president Robert B Zoellick to India, begun to rethink its year-old position on the offer from the Bank to fund activities under the National Tiger Conservation Authority. But on Wednesday, with most of tiger conservationists in the country protesting the move, minister Jairam Ramesh decided to shelve the proposal yet again.

In June 2008, World Bank launched a global Tiger Conservation Initiative. It had approached the Indian government at that point asking it to join in. After deliberations within the government, in which the PMO too was involved, it was decided that the government did not require either technical assistance or funds of the Bank.

The government had considered World Bank’s chequered history with tiger conservation and relocation and decided that it would not be advisable to take up the Bank on its offer. The Bank, on the other hand, was viewed within the government as more than eager to get India on board, as it would look odd if the country with the largest wild tiger population in the world did not join the initiative.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-refuses-World-Bank-help-for-tiger-conservation/articleshow/5422078.cms

Fishing mafia on the rise as Pench is hit by lack of funds - DNA

Mumbai: Security of the Pench Tiger Reserve is at risk. With no funds released in the last nine months, the forest authorities are in a tight situation regarding funds for patrolling logistics and payments of the forest labourers. Meanwhile, the incidents of illegal fishing and attacks on the forest guards have increased.

The authority has 50 guards with no arms and vehicles. "The Centre has not released a single paisa of the Rs1.8 crore annual fund since April 2009. We haven't been able to buy fuel for the patrolling vehicles, which are in a bad condition," said an official.

Meanwhile, the fishing mafia is raising its head again. Madhukar Dhoke (name changed), a forest guard, who was a part of the team which nabbed fishermen involved in illegal fishing a month ago, was forced to leave his house in the civil area for initiating action against the fishing mafia. Those involved in the theft attacked his house, forcing him to shift his family to the quarters in the jungle.

The plight of the security forces does not end here. The retaliation from the fishing mafias is so powerful that the SRP jawans, deployed to help forest guards, discontinued their services a year ago. Nearly 100 forest labourers, appointed on a contract basis to help the guards, have stopped working as their salaries have not been paid.

Sources said that illegal fishing worth Rs50,000 to Rs1 lakh is taking place every day. "The Supreme Court had banned fishing in the reserve in 2004 and abolished the fishing rights of the locals. The families were rehabilitated in the neighbouring villages. However, they keep returning to Totladoh dam for fishing," said an official.

According to Dr Mohan Jha, conservator of forest and in-charge of Pench Reserve, the delay in the release of funds has led to a rise in illegal activities. "The activities had almost stopped after October 2008. But they are rising again as the news of lack of funds and the lax security is spreading," he said.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_fishing-mafia-on-the-rise-as-pench-is-hit-by-lack-of-funds_1326914

Homesick tiger puts MP forest officials in fix - HT

It’s not another Tiger Woods joke. A homesick tiger has kept more than 100 forest officials in the woods for close to a month.

The big cat, brought to Madhya Pradesh’s Panna National Park from the Pench reserve 400 km away, does not like his new habitat, which includes two relocated tigresses.

And he seems to be heading back home.

Leaving wildlife scientists baffled, the tiger — tracked 24x7 through a radio collar — has crossed hills, fields, human habitations and rivers, and is now moving towards his home at Pench.

Tracking the reluctant migrant, Panna National Park field director R. Sriniwas Murthy has not gone home for four weeks. Also on the tiger’s trail are three veterinarians, five elephants and a truck to move elephants, besides local forest department officials.

The tiger was released in Panna on November 14.

He has been on the move since November 25.

On Monday, after crossing the Ken, Boarma and Sonar rivers, he was reported to be in the Nauradehi Sanctuary with only the Narmada separating him and his original home. On Wednesday, high frequency radio signals located him in Damoh district, midway between Pench and Panna.

Madhya Pradesh’s chief wildlife warden R.S. Negi said the phenomenon was difficult to fathom. “One can’t say whether the tiger knows he’s heading towards his original home,” said Negi.

The tiger has to be tranquillised and taken back to Panna but the dense foliage and tough terrain have prevented veterinarians from doing so.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Homesick-tiger-puts-MP-forest-officials-in-fix/H1-Article1-489925.aspx

Maharashtra Release of wildlife funds stuck in red tape

NAGPUR: On first day of winter session, forest minister Dr Patangrao Kadam had promised that funds for three tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the state would be release in 24 hours. But almost 336 hours later, not a single rupee of the Rs 6.76 crore first installment of centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) funds has been released.

Interestingly, the finance department says it released the money on December 17 but wildlife wing says it has not received it. S P Kanade, joint secretary (finance), told TOI Rs 7.90 crore have been released from Mumbai under four schemes. However, until Tuesday night, money had not arrived in budgetdistribution system (BDS), the official channel to distribute funds. It seems even word of senior minister Dr Kadam is not kept.

On Tuesday, when the issue was taken up with Dr Kadam, he expressed surprise. "I'm learning from you that funds have not been released yet. Daily I meet top officials but none has apprised me of it. If they don't tell me about the problem how can I solve it? I will take up the issue with officials concerned on Wednesday," Dr Kadam told TOI.

Conservationists flayed rigid approach of the finance and planning department in releasing money. "Funds are delayed every year for one or the other reason. It has become a chronic problem. At a time when tigers are falling prey to poachers due to lack of protection, not releasing money for wildlife is criminal," they said.

Information sought under the RTI revealed that the wildlife wing had proposed Rs 13.35 crore for three tiger reserves Tadoba, Pench and Melghat & 31 sanctuaries and national parks under the CSS. Of this, Rs 10.80 crore has been sanctioned. The Centre has already released its share of Rs 6.76 crore towards first instalment by September 30. However, state government did not release the money.

Of its share of Rs 2.31 crore, the state released only Rs 1.02 crore on September 30. This amount too was released after much hassles and most of it went towardspayment of wages of forest workers engaged in protection work in parks. The workers were not paid for six months then. Now the situation is back to square one.

It is December and first instalment of CSS funds, which is 60% of the total sanctioned amount, has not been released. The managers of protected areas (PAs) are left with only three months to utilise the money. Unless utilisation certificate of 1st instalment is submitted, Centre does not release second instalment. Officials fear the PAs will go without the second instalment this financial year. It means less money for wildlife, which is already passing through grave crisis.

As there are no funds, number of workers has been curtailed hampering protection. Besides, crucial works like drawing fire lines, road repairs, cutting of grass, waterhole management have come to a grinding halt. In Pench Tiger Reserve, illegal fishing is rampant as patrolling boats are stranded for fuel. Many protection huts are unmanned as there is no money to pay wages.

The sanctioned amount includes Rs 4 crore for three tiger reserves including Rs 1.5 crore for TATR, Rs 1.70 crore for Melghat and Rs 80 lakh for Pench. Besides, Rs 2.75 crore has been sanctioned for sanctuaries and national parks. Forest officials said they had submitted all the information asked for in new format. "We also don't know why funds are held up?" they said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Kadams-assurance-on-wildlife-funds-flouted/articleshow/5368093.cms