By M Raghuram
In a surprising decision, the government has ordered the transfer of 178 forest watchers to the wildlife division to keep an eye on the tiger reserves of the state.
The order has not only created a serious shortage of personnel in the forest department, but also made life easier for the tree-fellers.
The order copy (No 38/2011-12) issued from the principal chief conservator of forests, exclusively available with DNA, has directed all the deputy conservators of forests, assistant conservators of forests and range forest officers to relieve the watchers immediately to take their positions in four different tiger conservation projects of Nagarahole, Bandipur, Bhadra and Anashi Tiger reserves.
The order transfers 60 watchers from Chamarajanagar, Kollegal, Mysore, Hunsur, Mandya, Chikmagalur, Koppa, Sirsi, Yellapur, Haliyal, Honnavar and Haveri to Bandipur Tiger Reserve, 63 from Karwar, Shimoga, Tumkur, Gulburga, Yadgir, Madikeri, Virajpet, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Koppal, Ramanagar and Belgaum to Hunsur Wildlife division, 37 from Mangalore, Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural districts to Bhadra wildlife division, Chikmagalur and 18 from Kundapur and Kolar to Dandeli wildlife division in Uttara Kannada district.
This decision comes in the wake of Karnataka being declared as having the largest number of tigers in the wild in the country.
Questioning the decision, the green activists are baffled at the government order. “First, the government says no to the world heritage tag offer from the Unesco to 10 different in Western Ghats sites. Now, they have removed the watchers from the forests.
What could be the intention of the government?” asked Panduranga Pai of Sirsi Parisara Okkuta. Many of the forests are Naxalite-infested. It could be recalled that it was a watcher who had first reported Naxalite activities in Kudremukh National Park in 2001.
“Watchers are the primary source of information for the forest department. Their information was like the first information report for the police. Based on their report the officials rush to the spot and take required action in situations.
Without them many of the range forests will not have their eyes and ears,” said a forest official on conditions of anonymity.
However, the principal chief conservator of forests IB Shrivatsava said that the forest department will recruit more watchers and guards in the days to come. But it is a long-drawn process to fill up the posts created due to the en masse transfer.
To fill up the vacancies, it would need a year or so, during which period many things may go wrong, fear the green activists.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_green-alert-karnataka-transfers-178-forest-watchers-to-tiger-reserves_1563558
Monday, July 11, 2011
NTCA to study Adani impact on Nagzira wildlife sanctuary-TNN
NAGPUR: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the ministry of environment and forest monitoring tiger reserves in the country, will study adverse impact on Nagzira wildlife sanctuary with the diversion of 163.84 hectares forest land for Adani power project in Tiroda in Gondia district.
A proposal for diversion of 163.84 hectares of forest land in Garadi village for establishment of 1980 MW coal-fired power plant at MIDC Tiroda is under consideration of the MoEF. The Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML) plant falls within 10 km of the forest land proposed for diversion and hence the study.
NTCA sources told TOI that the Authority had on July 1 written to three leading institutes in India to quote rates to take up the study. They are National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur; Pollution Control Research Institute (PCRI), Haridwar; and Environment Protection and Training Research Institute (EPTRI), Hyderabad.
"NTCA proposes to study adverse impact of gaseous and particulate emissions and additional thermal load from the proposed power plant on the flora and fauna in 152 sq km Nagzira sanctuary. We will recommend appropriate mitigation measures to eliminate and minimise the impact," said sources.
If NTCA is to be believed, MoEF has almost made up its mind to divert the said land to APML. TOI on January 1 was first to report about MoEF readying to divert the land close to the sanctuary. Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh is already under pressure from his cabinet colleagues to clear coal blocks for power projects. Government is keen on putting Adani plant on fast-track.
Adani is coming up with 3,300 MW power plant in Tiroda. Work on first phase of two 660 MW units is in full swing and the company needs 163.84 hectare forest land for expansion. It has applied to the MoEF for diversion of the proposed land under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) 1980.
Wildlife experts recalled that MoEF's move would be a u-turn by Ramesh, who, during his Nagpur visit on September 13 last year, had said that if the land was close to Nagzira, then permission to divert it would not be granted. Ramesh has already agreed to make Nagzira-Navegaon a tiger reserve.
"The grant of diversion of forest land will be in contravention to MoEF rules that state that any proposal falling within 10 km of sanctuary or national park should be referred to National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) which is not being done in the case of APML," they said.
Earlier, two offences have been registered against the APML for violating the FCA twice - once on May 16 and another on June 4. Even after a year, the forest department has taken no action against the power company for those violations. In June 2010, a six-member committee headed by then PCCF (wildlife) and now head of forest force (HoFF) A K Joshi had visited the proposed site and studied the impact of diverting the said land on wildlife and tigers.
The panel has already stated that diversion of said land to APML would impact Nagzira, which is just 8.5 km from the plant's boundary.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/ntca-to-study-adani-impact-on-nagzira-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/9178416.cms
A proposal for diversion of 163.84 hectares of forest land in Garadi village for establishment of 1980 MW coal-fired power plant at MIDC Tiroda is under consideration of the MoEF. The Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML) plant falls within 10 km of the forest land proposed for diversion and hence the study.
NTCA sources told TOI that the Authority had on July 1 written to three leading institutes in India to quote rates to take up the study. They are National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur; Pollution Control Research Institute (PCRI), Haridwar; and Environment Protection and Training Research Institute (EPTRI), Hyderabad.
"NTCA proposes to study adverse impact of gaseous and particulate emissions and additional thermal load from the proposed power plant on the flora and fauna in 152 sq km Nagzira sanctuary. We will recommend appropriate mitigation measures to eliminate and minimise the impact," said sources.
If NTCA is to be believed, MoEF has almost made up its mind to divert the said land to APML. TOI on January 1 was first to report about MoEF readying to divert the land close to the sanctuary. Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh is already under pressure from his cabinet colleagues to clear coal blocks for power projects. Government is keen on putting Adani plant on fast-track.
Adani is coming up with 3,300 MW power plant in Tiroda. Work on first phase of two 660 MW units is in full swing and the company needs 163.84 hectare forest land for expansion. It has applied to the MoEF for diversion of the proposed land under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) 1980.
Wildlife experts recalled that MoEF's move would be a u-turn by Ramesh, who, during his Nagpur visit on September 13 last year, had said that if the land was close to Nagzira, then permission to divert it would not be granted. Ramesh has already agreed to make Nagzira-Navegaon a tiger reserve.
"The grant of diversion of forest land will be in contravention to MoEF rules that state that any proposal falling within 10 km of sanctuary or national park should be referred to National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) which is not being done in the case of APML," they said.
Earlier, two offences have been registered against the APML for violating the FCA twice - once on May 16 and another on June 4. Even after a year, the forest department has taken no action against the power company for those violations. In June 2010, a six-member committee headed by then PCCF (wildlife) and now head of forest force (HoFF) A K Joshi had visited the proposed site and studied the impact of diverting the said land on wildlife and tigers.
The panel has already stated that diversion of said land to APML would impact Nagzira, which is just 8.5 km from the plant's boundary.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/flora-fauna/ntca-to-study-adani-impact-on-nagzira-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/9178416.cms
Heritage panel seeks Manas report
ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Guwahati, July 10: The World Heritage Committee has asked the Centre to inform it by next year whether the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is operational and financial arrangements are in place for the site.
Sources said the committee had asked for the report by February 1 next year for examination at its 36th session in 2012.
The committee in its report said sustained finance to the site remains a critical long-term requirement to secure its full recovery.
It urged the authorities to ensure that the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation was made operational as soon as possible and that funding for the property from the Centre was channelled through the foundation to avoid future delays in the transfer of funds to the property.
The Centre has informed the committee that the proposal for the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is currently awaiting Parliament approval, which is expected to come soon.
Though the foundation was formed two years back, it has still not been operationalised.
“All the hard work seems to have gone in vain and it is now nearly two years but the foundation has still not been operationalised,” a park official said.
The joint IUCN/Unesco monitoring mission, which visited the park in January this year, had pointed out that though lack of funds had not prevented activities necessary to allow recovery of the outstanding universal value of the site, the situation would have been much better if the funds-release problem had been fully addressed.
The slow release of funds for the site from the state government is an issue that has been raised by all previous Unesco/IUCN monitoring missions since 1997.
In fact, in 2009 and 2010 the park management was forced to operate for two years on one year’s budget as the state released the funds at the end of the year, rather than disbursing them directly to Manas at the time of receipt from the federal government.
A 2005 ruling by the Supreme Court states that funds must be released by the state government within 15 days of receipt from the Centre but this has not been implemented in the case of Manas.
Every year, the park management has to submit three annual plans of operation — one for project tiger, biosphere scheme and elephant project, but unfortunately the release of funds is sometimes delayed which has a serious impact on the efficient implementation of management activities.
The monitoring mission had also found the majority of available cash flow to the site comes from the BTC of which a major proportion of these funds is spent on staff salaries.
The park has also been asked to submit a comprehensive tourism management plan and a recovery plan for swamp deer by February 1 next year.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110711/jsp/northeast/story_14221385.jsp
Guwahati, July 10: The World Heritage Committee has asked the Centre to inform it by next year whether the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is operational and financial arrangements are in place for the site.
Sources said the committee had asked for the report by February 1 next year for examination at its 36th session in 2012.
The committee in its report said sustained finance to the site remains a critical long-term requirement to secure its full recovery.
It urged the authorities to ensure that the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation was made operational as soon as possible and that funding for the property from the Centre was channelled through the foundation to avoid future delays in the transfer of funds to the property.
The Centre has informed the committee that the proposal for the Manas Tiger Conservation Foundation is currently awaiting Parliament approval, which is expected to come soon.
Though the foundation was formed two years back, it has still not been operationalised.
“All the hard work seems to have gone in vain and it is now nearly two years but the foundation has still not been operationalised,” a park official said.
The joint IUCN/Unesco monitoring mission, which visited the park in January this year, had pointed out that though lack of funds had not prevented activities necessary to allow recovery of the outstanding universal value of the site, the situation would have been much better if the funds-release problem had been fully addressed.
The slow release of funds for the site from the state government is an issue that has been raised by all previous Unesco/IUCN monitoring missions since 1997.
In fact, in 2009 and 2010 the park management was forced to operate for two years on one year’s budget as the state released the funds at the end of the year, rather than disbursing them directly to Manas at the time of receipt from the federal government.
A 2005 ruling by the Supreme Court states that funds must be released by the state government within 15 days of receipt from the Centre but this has not been implemented in the case of Manas.
Every year, the park management has to submit three annual plans of operation — one for project tiger, biosphere scheme and elephant project, but unfortunately the release of funds is sometimes delayed which has a serious impact on the efficient implementation of management activities.
The monitoring mission had also found the majority of available cash flow to the site comes from the BTC of which a major proportion of these funds is spent on staff salaries.
The park has also been asked to submit a comprehensive tourism management plan and a recovery plan for swamp deer by February 1 next year.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110711/jsp/northeast/story_14221385.jsp
Two tiger cubs brought to Van Vihar from Bandhavgarh
Two tiger cubs were brought from Bandhavgarh National Park to Van Vihar here last night. These two cubs from the same mother are about two-years-old. After arrival of these male tiger cubs, the number of tigers in Van Vihar has reached 12. There are nine tigers and one white tigress already in the Van Vihar.
These two tiger cubs have been kept in separate housing in Van Vihar. They will be quarantined from other animals for one month. During this period, their health checks and vaccinations will be undertaken.
Generally, a tigress keeps a cub with her for one and a half years. After this period, cubs are separated from mother. These two cubs are offspring of Mirachhani tigress of Bandhavgarh National Park, who had given birth to them in the same litter in 2009.
Now the number of man-eater tiger in the Van Vihar has reached 12. Earlier in 2008, another man-eater tiger Nahar was brought to the Van Vihar. Besides these tigers, there are five man-eater leopards also in the Van Vihar. Their names are Salman, Jhiriya, Khusi, Neemu and Nimi. Man-eater tigers and leopards are kept under adequate security and constant vigil is maintained on the enclosures where they are kept. Man-eater tigers become aggressive on seeing human beings. Therefore, they are kept at places where there is minimum human interference. These tigers are used for conservation breeding.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=63623
These two tiger cubs have been kept in separate housing in Van Vihar. They will be quarantined from other animals for one month. During this period, their health checks and vaccinations will be undertaken.
Generally, a tigress keeps a cub with her for one and a half years. After this period, cubs are separated from mother. These two cubs are offspring of Mirachhani tigress of Bandhavgarh National Park, who had given birth to them in the same litter in 2009.
Now the number of man-eater tiger in the Van Vihar has reached 12. Earlier in 2008, another man-eater tiger Nahar was brought to the Van Vihar. Besides these tigers, there are five man-eater leopards also in the Van Vihar. Their names are Salman, Jhiriya, Khusi, Neemu and Nimi. Man-eater tigers and leopards are kept under adequate security and constant vigil is maintained on the enclosures where they are kept. Man-eater tigers become aggressive on seeing human beings. Therefore, they are kept at places where there is minimum human interference. These tigers are used for conservation breeding.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/viewnews.asp?articleID=63623
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