Rs 104 crore grant for Ranthambore
Move to relocate human settlement
Friday, October 2, 2009
Centre acts fast on relocation - Funds released for Ranthambore and Manas
Just a month after Rajasthan and Assam signed the tripartite agreement with centre, funds have been cleared for relocation of villagers living in and around the tiger reserves in the two states. According to reports in TOI and Assam Tribune, Ranthambore is set to get a sum of over 100 crs and Manas Nattional park in Assam another 6.5 Crs. Humans living in and around tiger reserves has been cited as the biggest reason for decline in forest cover and wild animal numbers. With poachers getting easy shelter and know how from these communities and villagers themselves sometimes poisoning wild animals to save their cattle, moving human settlements out of sanctuaries has become top priority for conservationists. The new minister MOEF having recognizing the gravity of the problem has moved swiftly and has within months of taking over streamlined the system to ensure money is no more an obstacle and adequate legal provisions are in place to prevent misuse of funds. With these two states taking the lead hopefully other states like MP, Karnataka, Kerala and Uttarakhand will follow.
Tadoba activists decry villagers move as Sonia Gandhi takes note
After villagers around Lohara, the location of Adani mines, came out in support of the project, green activists questioned their stand as per a report on TOI. According to activists the company has managed to lure a handful of people through money power to get them to endorse setting up the plant at the expense of the forest. As pointed out by some NGO activists, the forests are not the property of villagers living in the area but a natural resource that belongs to the country and saving it is of prime importance. It is relevant to note that residents of Chandrapur, the distt headquarters, a few months back had come out strongly against the mines having suffered the ill effects of mines in their area for decades.
In a related development Sonia Gandhi has taken note of a letter written by Rajya Sabha MP Shri Vijay Darda for pointing out adverse effects of the mine. He has also suggested setting up a committee to look into granting of the license. Mr Darda had used his offices to good effect last year when a similar letter by him to Sonia Gandhi against widening of Nagpur-Jabalpur highway cutting thru Pench tiger reserve saw the scrapping of the ecologically disastrous project.
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Man Tiger conflict continues across the country as two more die
In separate incidents, two people were killed, apparently by tigers, one in Sunderbans and another in Almora Distt. Sunderbans has recently been in news for increased tiger attacks on humans. The forest department had had suggested that cycloe Aila earlier this year had killed prey in large numbers making tigers attack humans more often. Do study the issue in detail, forest dept had also initiated a study of prey base in the area but months after the first incidents were reported, there is no sign of the study. Sunderbans is also going to be included this year in the tiger census survey to be carried out starting next month.
Tiger kills fisherman in Sunderban
Tiger kills child in Simalkhet
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