Monday, July 23, 2012

MoEF notice to halt work on lion safari project in Etawah


MoEF notice to halt work on lion safari project in Etawah

0 Comments
Author(s): Biswajeet Banerjee
Date: Jul 16, 2012
Notice to Uttar Pradesh says project in reserved forestland for commercial purpose is illegal
Asiatic lions: Pawns in a powe (Credit: Arvind Yadav / CSE)Uttar Pradesh's wildlife and forests department plans to replicate the habitat of lions in the Gir forest in the Chambal (Credit: Arvind Yadav)The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has put a spanner in Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's pet project—a lion safari in his father's home district, Etawah. The ministry has slapped the state government with a notice, asking it to halt construction work on the project immediately. The notice says the development work in the reserved Fisher Forest in Chambal area of Etawah is illegal because the Uttar Pradesh government has not taken permission from the ministry for it as required under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980.
The main objection raised by MoEF is that the state government is planning to use the forestland for commercial purposes by planning a lion safari in it. “Taking up non-forest activities, including constructing permanent structures, is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act. Besides, the working plan of the Etawah forest division up to 2015-16 has already been approved,” says the notice.
The lion safari proposal was first mooted in 2005 when Akhilesh's father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, was the chief minister of the state. A total of 150.83 hectares of forestland bordering Madhya Pradesh was identified for the purpose. At that time, the state government had approached MoEF with the plea that the project would boost tourism and generate income for local people. It was argued that the topography and ecology of Gir and Etawah are similar and so permission should be given to set up the lion safari in the area. But the ministry turned down the proposal, saying the Central Zoo Authority should first give its consent. That consent never materialised, and with Samajwadi Party losing power in 2007 the project was shelved.
Uttar Pradesh's chief wildlife warden, Rupek De, says the ministry's communication is a “routine exchange of letters between two governments”. An appropriate answer would be given to MoEF at the appropriate time, he says.
The project, which will cost an estimated Rs 35 crore, is being closely monitored by chief minister. Akhilesh Yadav, who during his visit to the area last month, had asked officials to expedite the project. The lion safari figured prominently in the state budget that was passed on July 3.
A thorny problem
As per the master plan for the project, the thorny Babool tree, the primary species of the Chambal ravines, will have to be eradicated and replaced with species dominant in the Gir sanctuary area, to provide the lions with a favourable habitat. Babool is not suited for the soft padded lion and removing the trees from the habitat area may prove an uphill task, say forest officials.
The master plan calls for grass plantation for soil and moisture conservation, apart from provision of permanent water source for lions by digging deep bore wells. Growing trees on rocky surfaces will require larger efforts as special machines will have to be pressed into service to drill pockets, which then will have to be filled with soil to prepare for plantation, say officials. To start with, the state government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore.
“The final plans have been sent to the senior officials for approval. Once the approvals are in place, we shall approach the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for sanction,” says Sujoy Banerjee, divisional forest officer of Chambal wildlife division at Agra.
But MoEF has taken a strong exception to felling of trees and the process of levelling the ground. No felling is proposed in the area as per the approved working plan of the Etawah forest division. Any change in working plan prescription requires prior approval from the Central government under the Forest Conservation Act, the MoEF letter says.
Despite these objections, the state's wildlife department has initiated talks with some of the zoos of the country, including those in  Junagadh, Rajkot and Hyderabad, for procuring Asiatic lions. De, the state's chief wildlife warden, says work on the project is being undertaken on a war-footing. “The current habitat (Fisher Forest) is being modified. We have consulted the authorities of the Gir forests to have a habitat which is best suited for the lions and replicate it here. The species of trees that we will be planting include sheesham (Indian rosewood), semul (silk cotton tree), Acacia and ficus species such as bargad (banyan tree) and peepal. Grass species will also be added," he says.  He adds that the state will soon procure pure bred Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica) and they would first be kept in the state's existing zoos from where they would be shifted to the safari park when work gets completed.
In the first phase, breeding centres would be set up inside the safari area.  As per the CZA's conditions, the safari would be opened for public only when the number of lions goes up to 10. In the second phase, requisite infrastructure would be developed inside the safari area, says De.
As per the April-2010 census, India has 411 Asiatic Lions, of which Gir in Gujarat has around 297.
Flip flop on project feasibility
When the Bahujan Samaj Party headed by Mayawati came to power in 2007, officials had said that the lion safari project was not feasible and said the environment around Fisher Forest zone in Etawah was not conducive enough to set up a lion safari in league with the Gir forest in Gujarat. The Mayawati regime's focus was on developing an elephant (the party's symbol) reserve in Bijnore.
After Akhilesh Yadav assumed charge as chief minister in March this year, the lion safari project was revived. Work has been started by felling existing trees, changing the landscape and undertaking fresh plantation.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

नागलपुर गावं में दिन दहाड़े घुसा एक तेंदुवा !

नागलपुर गावं में दिन दहाड़े घुसा एक तेंदुवा !

HANIF KHOKHAR, JUNAGADH - GUJARAT, +91 9426457264
LOCATION: NAGALPUR VILLAGE, DIST: JUNAGADH, GUJARAT.
DATE: 5 JULY 2012 THURSDAY 13:00 PM
  
जूनागढ़ के आसपास के इलाकेमें तेंदुवे की तादात इतनी बढ़ गई है की तेंदुवे अब तो घर में भी घुसने लगे है, जूनागढ़ के नागलपुर गाव में एक तेंदुवा दिन दहाड़े बिच बाजार में एक मकान में घुस गया था. घर के अन्दर घुसे तेंदुवे को बहार निकलने में वन विभाग की रेस्क्यू टीम को करीब चार घंटे की मुशक्कत करनी पड़ी थी, 

गुजरात के जूनागढ़ के करीबी गाव नागलपुर के सदभावनगर के इस मकान में आज सुबह सुबह एक बिन बुलाया महेमान घुस गया है, महेमान कोई और नहीं बल्के महेमान एक खूंखार तेंदुवा है, जो दिन दहाड़े इस गाव की गलियों से गुजरते हुवे चिमनभाई राणपरिया के घर मैं घुस गया है. शिकार की तलाश में यह तेंदुवा  गावमें घुस गया था, और बिच बाज़ार से भागता हुवे तेंदुवे को देखकर गाव के लोग इकठ्ठा हो गए और चारो तरफ शोर मच गया और फिर तेंदुवा छलांग लगाकर इस घर मैं घुस गया, तेंदुवे को घर में घुसता हुवा देख कर घर के लोग भी दर गए और कमरे में घुस गए, तेंदुवा भी छलांग लगाकर इस खुले कमरे मैं घुस गया. यहो मौका देखकर चिमनभाई राणपरिया कमरे का दरवाजा बांध करके ताला लगा दिया और वन विभाग को जानकारी दी के उनके घर में एक तेंदुवे घुस गया है.

जैसे ही वन विभाग को को पता चला की ताबड़ तोड़ एक टीम वहा पहोच गई और सभी बातो जा जायजा लेकर सासन गिर से एक खास रेस्क्यू टीम बुलाई और फिर रेस्क्यू टीमने आकर तेंदुवे का निरीक्षण कर के उसे बेहोशी का इंजेक्सन देने की तय्यारी की मगर तेंदुवे ने कमरे के अन्दर अफडा ताफ्दी मचा राखी थी जैसे ही रेस्क्यू टीम तेंदुवे को इंजेक्सन देने की कोशी कसरती थी तेंदुवे खिड़की से जपट्टा मार कर हमले की कोशिश में था मगर करीब चार घंटे की मुशक्कत के बाद तेंदुवे को बेहोशी का इंजेक्शन लग गया और तेंदुवा बेहोश हो गया, फिर उसे पिंजड़े में बांध कर के सासन गिर के अनिमल केर सेंटर में ले जाया गया है. वहा जब होश मैं आएगा उसके बाद उसे फिर से जंगल में छोड़ दिया जाये गा.

शेरो के संरक्षण प्रोग्राम के कारन शेरो के साथ साथ तेंदुवे की संख्य में भी काफी इजाफा हुवा है. पीछे साल हुई गिनती में सब से जादा तेंदुवे की संख्या जूनागढ़ जिले में पाई गई है इस लिए इस इलाकेमें आये दिन तेंदुवे गाव में घुस जाते है और लोगो के ऊपर हमला करदेते है. मगर इस घटने से लोगो में काफी डर बेथ गया है क्यों की पहेले तो सिर्फ रात के समय ही खेतो में तेंदुवे दिखाई देते थे मगर अब तो दिन दहाड़े गाव में और घर में घुस जाना चिंता विषय हो गया है.