NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) monitoring all 39 tiger reserves in India, will examine 15 mining and power project proposals impacting tiger conservation mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
A three-member committee consisting of Urmila Pingle, NTCA member, Kishor Rithe, wildlife expert, and G N Wankhede, head of zoology department of Amravati University, has been constituted on July 2. This panel will be different from the one constituted on May 14, under P K Sen, former director of ‘Project Tiger’, to examine 17 projects in MP, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The list of 15 project proposals was sent to NTCA by the MoEF. The three-member panel will do site appraisals of coal mining and thermal power plants vis-à-vis the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves and study their impact on tiger conservation in the landscape. It is likely to start work immediately and submit report to the NTCA in a month. These projects are awaiting environmental clearance and much will depend on the report of the panel. Of the 15 proposals, nine are in Maharashtra including seven in Chandrapur, one in Andhra Pradesh and five in Madhya Pradesh.
The projects in Chandrapur district are in the landscape of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). The seven proposals in Chanda include Brahmapuri coal block of Push Steels & Mining (P) Limited, Dhorwara and Telwasa opencast mine projects of WCL in Majri (Bhadrawati); Gouri Deep opencast coal mine project of WCL, expansion of Pandharpaoni coal washery (from 1.6 mtpa to 2.6 mtpa) of Aryan Coal Beneficiation India in Rajura, coal washery of Fuelco Washeries and diversion of 50.47 hectare forest land for Majra coal block of Gondwana Ispat Limited. Apart from these, two projects for bauxite mine and iron ore are situated in the buffer of Chandoli National Park in Kolhapur district.
Chandoli is part of the newly-formed Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. In Madhya Pradesh, of the five projects, three are in Umaria, in the landscape of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. One in Andhra Pradesh is about constructing a memorial to late chief minister of Andhra Pradesh YSR Reddy in a wildlife sanctuary. Most of the 15 projects in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are lilely to affect corridor between Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Kanha-Pench-Tadoba and Satpuda-Pench tiger reserves. These areas and its landscapes are estimated to have over 250 tigers or just over one-fifth the wild tiger population in India.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Youth-killer not a maneater: Experts
JAIPUR: Officials of the forest department have ruled out the possibility of a maneater mauling a 22-year-old youth at the Ranthambore reserve on Saturday. They say it is just a sad accident.
”There is no way we can call the tiger a man-eater. It so happened that the youth came in the way of the tiger and so he was mauled by the animal for self-protection. It is just a sad accident," said RN Mehrotra, chief of forest force.
On Saturday, Ghamamdi Saini was mauled to death near the Jhoomar Bawdi at the Ranthambore forest reserve. Saini had gone to the forest to cut wood when he was attacked.
”The person did not know the tiger was in the vicinity and ventured close to it only to be killed," added Mehrotra.
Forest officials are awaiting reports to confirm whether Saini was mauled by a tiger or a leopard. "The reports are awaited and so we cannot say conclusively the youth was killed by a tiger. There is a leopard that also roams the area. But definitely it was a big cat that killed the youth," said RS Shekhawat, DFO, Ranthambore.
On Saturday night after the news of Saini's death spread, locals had expressed their ire by blocking road in the area. They were demanding compensation. However, they were assured of all help and pacified.
"We have been monitoring the movement of all animals in the area and they look normal. We have to study them more to come to a conclusion to identify the animal responsible for the death," added Shekhawat.
Alerted by the second of its kind of incident this year at Ranthambore, officials are contemplating putting up signboards in the forest warning people to stay off.
"We would be putting up signboards warning people of the presence of tigers in the region. This apart we would also be putting up boards asking people not to venture into the forest after sunset and before sunrise," added Mehrotra.
”There is no way we can call the tiger a man-eater. It so happened that the youth came in the way of the tiger and so he was mauled by the animal for self-protection. It is just a sad accident," said RN Mehrotra, chief of forest force.
On Saturday, Ghamamdi Saini was mauled to death near the Jhoomar Bawdi at the Ranthambore forest reserve. Saini had gone to the forest to cut wood when he was attacked.
”The person did not know the tiger was in the vicinity and ventured close to it only to be killed," added Mehrotra.
Forest officials are awaiting reports to confirm whether Saini was mauled by a tiger or a leopard. "The reports are awaited and so we cannot say conclusively the youth was killed by a tiger. There is a leopard that also roams the area. But definitely it was a big cat that killed the youth," said RS Shekhawat, DFO, Ranthambore.
On Saturday night after the news of Saini's death spread, locals had expressed their ire by blocking road in the area. They were demanding compensation. However, they were assured of all help and pacified.
"We have been monitoring the movement of all animals in the area and they look normal. We have to study them more to come to a conclusion to identify the animal responsible for the death," added Shekhawat.
Alerted by the second of its kind of incident this year at Ranthambore, officials are contemplating putting up signboards in the forest warning people to stay off.
"We would be putting up signboards warning people of the presence of tigers in the region. This apart we would also be putting up boards asking people not to venture into the forest after sunset and before sunrise," added Mehrotra.
Now, sloth bear goes on rampage, injures five
CHANDRAPUR: Incidents of man-animal conflict continue to take place in the district. On Saturday, a blind tigress that had strayed close to villages along the border of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and injured three people was captured after two days of efforts.
Just a day later, a sloth bear went berserk and mauled five people at a small settlement along Adegaon-Masele road on Sunday morning. Like the tiger incident, the situation turned tense and heavy police force was rushed to the area to control the mob.
Around 40 families of farmers and farm labourers live in a settlement located some distance away from Adegaon village in Chimur tehsil. A bear strayed into this settlement around 5 am and attacked one Indira Nannaware, who was up early for her morning chores. Neighbours and family members of Indira woke up on hearing her cries.
However, the bear directed its fury at the rescuers and mauled three others --Annaji Nannaware, Nandkishor Nannaware and Bhauji Nannaware – before fleeing the spot. Later, all the four injured were admitted at Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the bear escaped to a nearby zudpi jungle and took shelter in the shrubs near Adegaon. A group of people soon tracked the beast down and tried to capture it with the help of a net made of ropes.
However, the beast foiled their attempt and mauled one Murlidhar Gajbhiye. He too was taken to Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Forest officials from Chimur and Talodhi range also reached the spot. However, the villagers were enraged due to the delay of forest officials in reaching the spot. Efforts were on by the forest department staffers to capture the bear with the help of net till late in the evening, but the beast kept eluding the pursuers.
aThe heavy mob of over two hundred villagers kept following the foresters and bears in Zudpi jungle during the exercise. In a couple of instances, the annoyed bear charged at the crowd. In the panic that ensued, one Ankush Sonwane, 19, fell down and broke his leg. RFO, Chimur range, BS Padve confirmed the incident and said that the forest department staffers are trying hard to net the bear. “The place falls under Talodhi forest range. However being close a team of Chimur range too has come to assist the Talodhi foresters. We have brought a cage to the spot, so that after bear was captured in the net she could be caged safely,” said Padve.
Just a day later, a sloth bear went berserk and mauled five people at a small settlement along Adegaon-Masele road on Sunday morning. Like the tiger incident, the situation turned tense and heavy police force was rushed to the area to control the mob.
Around 40 families of farmers and farm labourers live in a settlement located some distance away from Adegaon village in Chimur tehsil. A bear strayed into this settlement around 5 am and attacked one Indira Nannaware, who was up early for her morning chores. Neighbours and family members of Indira woke up on hearing her cries.
However, the bear directed its fury at the rescuers and mauled three others --Annaji Nannaware, Nandkishor Nannaware and Bhauji Nannaware – before fleeing the spot. Later, all the four injured were admitted at Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, the bear escaped to a nearby zudpi jungle and took shelter in the shrubs near Adegaon. A group of people soon tracked the beast down and tried to capture it with the help of a net made of ropes.
However, the beast foiled their attempt and mauled one Murlidhar Gajbhiye. He too was taken to Chimur rural hospital for treatment. Forest officials from Chimur and Talodhi range also reached the spot. However, the villagers were enraged due to the delay of forest officials in reaching the spot. Efforts were on by the forest department staffers to capture the bear with the help of net till late in the evening, but the beast kept eluding the pursuers.
aThe heavy mob of over two hundred villagers kept following the foresters and bears in Zudpi jungle during the exercise. In a couple of instances, the annoyed bear charged at the crowd. In the panic that ensued, one Ankush Sonwane, 19, fell down and broke his leg. RFO, Chimur range, BS Padve confirmed the incident and said that the forest department staffers are trying hard to net the bear. “The place falls under Talodhi forest range. However being close a team of Chimur range too has come to assist the Talodhi foresters. We have brought a cage to the spot, so that after bear was captured in the net she could be caged safely,” said Padve.
Tadoba villagers vent tiger attack ire on forest officers
Mumbai: A mob of angry villagers beat up two forest officers in Satara village on the periphery of the Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district after an old and ailing tigress attacked a villager on Friday, seriously injuring him.The villagers were angry that the officials allegedly did not do enough to drive the animal back into the forest in time. Officials said the villagers intimidated the tigress by getting too close to her.
The tigress, which has been ailing, and according to sources in the forest department, is partially blind, was sighted at around 8am in a pond on a farm belonging to Janardan Vaidya.
The news spread, and the villagers made a beeline to see the tigress. Intimidated, the animal attacked Vaidya when he went too close to drive it away, despite being warned against it by the villagers.
When range forest officer Umesh Dhotekar and a forest guard reached the village late afternoon, the angry villagers gave them a thrashing.
Vaidya, meanwhile, managed to free himself from the tigress' grip, but sustained serious injuries in the confrontation. Forest officials are now monitoring the situation and the movement of the tigress, who is still moving around the village.
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