हडमतिया गाव के किसानने लगाये फंदे में फसे तेंदुवे की हुई दर्दनाक मौत

किसानने लगाये फंदे में फसे तेंदुवे की हुई दर्दनाक मौत

रिपोर्ट: हनीफ खोखर, जूनागढ़ - गुजरात.

मंगलवार के दिन एक और तेंदुवे की दर्दनाक मौत हो गई, गुजरात के अमरेली जिले के राजुला के करीब हडमतिया नाम के गाव के एक खेत में किसान ने वयारो के फंदे में फस जाने के कारन तेंदुवे की मौत हो गई है, गिर के जंगल के करीब राजुला तहेसिल के हडमतिया गाव की खेत में यह हादसा हुवा था, तेंदुवे को मौत के घाट उतारने वाले किसान के खिलाफ तेंदुवे की हत्या का मामला दर्ज करके वन विभाग ने किसान को गिरफ्तार कर लिया है. और कोर्ट में पेश कर के रिमांड की भी मांग की है.

गुजरात के अमरेली जिले के राजुला के खिजदिया गाव की खेत में एक और तेंदुवे की दर्दनाक मौत हो गई, किसान नथुभाई वालेराभाई पिंजर के खेत में काम कर रहे उनके भागीदार रमेश काना दोलासिया ने अपने पाक को नुकशान कर रहे भुंड (डूककरो) को फ़साने के लिए मोटर सायकल के क्लच वयारो का फंदा लगाया था मगर इस फंदे में रात के समय डूककरो के बदले तेंदुवा फस गया और उनकी दर्दनाक मौत हो गई, सुबह सुबह खेत में काम करने वाला किसान रमेश काना दोलासिया जब अपनी खेत में काम करने आया तब उसने तेंदुवे की चिल्लाने की आवाज सुनी और उन्होंने देखा तो क्लच वायर में तेंदुवा बुरी तरह से फसा हुवा था और स्टील के तारो से निजत पाने के लिए जुज रहा था, यह देख कर किसान रमेश काना पहेल तो डर गया और फिर बहोत देर के बाद वन विभाग को इस घटना की जानकारी दी मगर जब तक वन विभाग की रेस्क्यू टीम ने वहा पहोचे उनसे पहेले ही तेंदुवे ने दम तोड़ दिया था,

क्लच वायर के फंदे में फसे तेंदुवे को तडपता हुवा देख कर आस पास के खेतो के कई किसान और कई लोग जमा हो गए थे मगर कोई तेंदुवे के पास जाकर बचा नहीं सकता था घंटो तक तेंदुवा तडपता रहा और जीवन के लिए जुजता रहा मगर आख़िरकार वन विभाग की रेस्क्यू टीम आये उस से पहेले कई सो लोगो के सामने ही तेंदुवे ने तडपते तडपते दम तोड़ दिया. वन विभाग के मुताबिक तेंदुवा मादा थी और उनकी उम्र करीब 4 साल की थी क्लच वायरो की जाल में रात से ही फस जाने के कारन करीब दस से बारह घंटे तक फसे रहेने के कारन ही तेंदुवे की मौत हो गई थी, वन विभाग के अमरेली डिविसन के नायब वन संरक्षक जे. के. मकवाना ने बताया की वाइल्ड लाइफ प्रोटेक्सन एक्ट के अनुसार किसान के खिलाफ तेंदुवे की हत्या का मामला दर्ज कर के किसान रमेश काना दोलासिया को गिरफ्तार कर लिया है. तेंदुवा सिलियुल वन की पेरिस्ट में समविस्त है और अति संकटग्रस्त प्रजातियो में से एक है. इस लिए वन विभाग ने किसान को तेंदुवे की हत्या करने जुर्म में गिरफ्तार कर के आज कोर्ट में पेश कर के रिमांड की मांग की है,

भारत सरकार और गुजरात सरकार द्वारा तेंदुवे के संरक्षण के लिए कई प्रोग्राम चलाये जा रहे है और गुजरात का वन विभाग एशियाई शेर और तेंदुवे बचाने की जद्दोजहद के कारन ही गुजरात में तेंदुवे की आबादी बढ़ी है उसमे भी गिर जंगल और आसपास के इस इलाके में तेंदुवे की संख्या भी काफी बढ़ी है. राजुला, सवार कुण्डला और जाफराबाद तहेसिल में तन्दुवे की संख्या बड़ी मात्र बढ़ने के कारन आयेदिन तेंदुवे खेतो और गावो में शिकार की तलाश में आ जाते है और कभी कभा इस तरह की मानव भूल तेंदुवे और शेर जेइसे प्राणियों के लिए मौत का फंदा बनजाता है.

India House opens in Budapest Zoo

India House opens in Budapest Zoo

By: MTI

2011-07-14 07:42

Endangered Asiatic or Indian lions, striped hyaenas, plum-headed parakeets and many other species are awaiting visitors at the India House, which opened in the Budapest Zoo on Wednesday.

Zoo-goers can also learn about the impact of Indian lions on cultural history and other interesting aspects of the fauna of the sub-continent.

The facility was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador to Budapest Gauri Shankar Gupta and Deputy Foreign State Secretary Janos Hovari.

Director-General Miklos Persanyi said that the zoo keeps about 150 Indian animal species. Only a few hundred Indian lions live in the north-western state of Gujarat in India, he added.

Hovari said at the event that the house will strengthen ties between Hungary and India. "The mystical and inscrutable India" has been attracting Hungarians for two centuries, including such famous people as linguist and explorer Sandor Csoma Korosi, Asia-expert Aurel Stein and orientalist Ervin Baktay, he added.

http://www.caboodle.hu/nc/news/news_archive/single_page/article/11/india_house/?cHash=7ccb50174f

जूनागढ़ में कुवे में गिरे तेंदुवे को आखिरकार बचालिया

जूनागढ़ में कुवे में गिरे तेंदुवे को आखिरकार बचालिया

जूनागढ़ दी. 13 जून 2011, हनीफ खोखर,

आज एक और कुवे में गिरे तेंदुवे को बचालिया गया है, जी गुजरात के जूनागढ़ के गिरनार सेंचुरी से करीब एक खेत के कुवे में एक मादा तेंदुवा गिर गई थी, प्रभातपुर गाव की एक खेत के कुवे में रात के समय ये तेंदुवा गिरा था, फिर वन विभाग की सक्करबाग रेस्क्यू टीम को बुलाया गया, कुवा गाहेरा था और पानी से भरा था अगर तेंदुवे को बेहोशी का इंजेक्सन दिया गया तो तेंदुवे की जान जा सकती थी इस लिए बिना टेंगुलाइज किये तेंदुवे को कुवे से सही सलामत बहार निकलने का फैसला लिया गया, सक्करबाग की रेस्क्यू टीम के लिए ये काम एक चुनोती थी मगर पांच घंटो की मुशक्कत के बाद तेंदुवे को सही सलामत जिन्दा बहार निकला लिया गया और फिर उसे गिरनार के जंगल में आजाद छोड़ दिया गया है.

देखिये इस कुवे को, साठ फिट गहेरे इस कुवे में एक तेंदुवा गिर गया है, रात के समय शिकार की तलाश में घूमता हुवा तेंदुवा इस गहेरे कुवे में गिर गया और जब प्रभात पुर गाव के किसान अपने खेत में पंहुचा और कुवे में जांक के देखा तो एक तेंदुवा करीब कुवे के अन्दर पम्प के मचान के सहारे जिन्दा बचा हुवा था, फ़ौरन किसान ने वन विभाग को इत्तला दी और वन विभाग की रेस्क्यू टीम

पहोच गई, पहेले तो रेस्क्यू टीम ने कुवे का जायजा लिया क्यों के साठ फिट गहेरे इस कुवे में बीस फुट तक पानी भरा हुवा था इस लिए तेंदुवे को बेहोशी का इंजेक्सन देना खतरों से खली नहीं था,

इस लिए बिना टेंगुलाइज तेंदुवे को कुवे से बहार निकलने का फैसला लय गया और फिर सुरु हुवा ओप्रेसन रेस्क्यू. वन विभाग के रेंज फोरेस्टर दीपक पंड्या ने बताया की इस तेंदुवे को पहेले इस तेंदुवे को सक्करबाग़ जू की अनिमल अस्पताल में ले जाया जायेगा, वहा तेंदुवे की पूरी जाँच होगी और उनके बाद आज ही फिर से गिरनार सेंचुरी में छोड़ दिया जायेगा,

रेस्क्यू टीम ने पहेले तो एक मुर्गी मंगवाई और पिंजड़े से मुर्गी को बाँधा गया और फिर चार रस्सी का सहारा लेकर पिंजड़े को कुवे में उतरा गया तेंदुवा जहा पर बता था उस मचान के बरोबर सामने ही पिंजड़े को रखा गया और फिर पिंजड़े का दरवाजा खोला गया, मगर तेंदुवा भी होशियार था वोह ऐसे नहीं मानने वाला था, मगर थोड़ी देर के बाद पिंजड़े के अन्दर बंधी मुर्गी को पकड़ने के लिए धीरे धीरे तेंदुवा पिंजड़े में घुसा और फिर योजना के मुताबिक पिंजड़े का दरवाजा बंध करदिया गया मगर फिर एक समस्या थी पिंजड़े के दरवाजे का ताला अगर नहीं लगाया गया तो तेंदुवा छलांग लगाकर कुवेमे गिर सकता था या बहार निकते समय भी पिंजड़ा खोल कर भाग सकता था, इस लिए रेस्क्यू टीम का एक जवान हिम्मत जुटाकर कुवे में उतरा मगर कुवे में इन्सान को देखकर तेंदुवे ने भी पिंजड़े में हड़कं मचा दिया था मगर रेस्क्यू टी के जवान ताला बांध करने में कामियाब हो गया और पिंजड़े के दरवाजे को ताला लगा दिया और फिर धीरे धीरे पिंजड़ा बहार निकला गया और तेंदुवे को सीधा सक्करबाग़ लेजाया गया वहा तेंदुवे की मेडिकल जाँच होगी और फिर शाम को इस तेंदुवे को गिरनार के जंगल में आजाद छोड़ दिया गया

Did ‘oral orders’ drive range forest officer to his death?

http://www.dnaindia.com/

Did ‘oral orders’ drive range forest officer to his death?

DNA / Jumana Shah / Sunday, April 17, 2011 10:15 IST

The freak suicide of Yadvendrasinh Chauhan has exposed the deep-rooted rot of corruption in government systems in general and in the prestigious Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation in particular.

The story so far has been that Chauhan, a DFO in GEER had demanded reimbursements for work he'd done for the organisation.

Officials at GEER, he claimed in his suicide note, had demanded bribe to release the money legitimately due to him. An FIR has been filed in Adalaj police station against director Bharat Pathak and two other officials.

The amount in question is to the tune of Rs10 lakh, of which Rs7 lakh had been paid to him over the past one year and the remaining Rs 3lakh was due. The question that arises is why there was such a hullabaloo over Chauhan's claim for work that was officially assigned to him?

Because, parts of the tasks assigned to him were done 'orally'.For a senior officer to 'give oral orders' refers to assigning important tasks to subordinates without a written sanction.This is an unaccepted practice in government departments, but, as this case has exposed, often used by senior officers.

In fact, highly placed sources confide that lately this practice has been rampant in the department. Most importantly, these 'irregularities' have been pointed out to all the officials in the forest and environment department and the chief secretary by the Gujarat Forest Services association on several occasions.

But absolutely no action has been taken. Shocked by the death of Chauhan, his former colleagues and peers in the services believe that he has been a victim not of the greed of one or two officers, who allegedly demanded bribe from him, but of a deep decay of massive corruption in the system which is being conveniently ignored by the government.

Significantly, GEER Foundation is headed by the chief minister directly and all communication in this matter has been marked to him. But, sources claim there never has been any response from the CMO to letters shot by the association over corruption charges.

“The CM office on the other hand has received international awards for prompt response to any communication with them,” they put rather acidically.

The copy of one such letter written in early 2009, in possession of DNA, clearly states that this practice of giving oral orders was being followed and tasks and expenses out of the purview of the organisation was being undertaken.

The letter states that officers would refuse to sign documents when approached for official sanction. Additional principal chief conservator of forest CN Pandey held the post of director at GEER for a-not-very-common seven long years between 2004 and 2010.

"Senior officers orally give instructions to execute an ambitious project. This is typically done to put showcase projects, like the butterfly park in this case, on the fast track, to impress the powers that be. The responsibility for theproject is with the lower rung officials but the power to sanction the money continues with top bosses," said a reliable source, refusing to be identified for fear of backlash. Not deciding the contours of the project at the outset itself leads to submission of exaggerated claims by executing teams. "For example, work worth Rs1 lakh would be claimed as Rs10 lakh. As there was no sanction to begin with, documents would be forged to clear these claims.Irregularities galore. This is a very very common practice in the entire forest department," said a forester, underlining 'very' several times over.

"Mind you, this is all tax-payers' money," he smiles. In Chauhan's case, this is clearly what has happened. "Because he was under pressure to execute an ambitious project, though orally assigned to him, he perhaps went as far as to pour money from his own pocket to finish it. He was assured by his seniors that the money will be 'adjusted' and granted to him. But that didn't happen and there was a change of guard. The new officials were in the process of 'regularising' the processes, when Chauhan lost patience and committed suicide," he elaborated.

Former director of GEER foundation CN Pandey, however, said he was not aware of the letters written by GFS association and refused to be quoted on the issue.

Chauhan's case, another source adds, is merely the tip of the iceberg. The question is why has the government not taken action to control the rot in the system?"Prosecuting one or two officials is not going to help. No one man is responsible for 'abetting' Chauhan's suicide. It is the corrupt system that has claimed his life," says the veteran officer with firm conviction.

Minister of state for environment and forest Mangubhai Patel refused to comment on the allegations of corruption in GEER or any action to be taken for internal irregularities. He dismissed the question by saying, "I am in Navsari right now and I don't know anything about it (the allegations of corruption). I am aware that an RFO has committed suicide and police are doing their job. I have nothing to add," he said.

URL of the article: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_did-oral-orders-drive-range-forest-officer-to-his-death_1532777-all

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Kumble's no cub in wildlife conservation

Kumble's no cub in wildlife conservation

TNN, Apr 11, 2011, 10.45pm IST

MYSORE: Former cricketer and State Board for Wildlife vice-chairman Anil Kumble has proved that hes no cub when it comes to wildlife conservation. He got 119-year-old Mysore Zoo two Asiatic lions from Gujarat which were put up for public view on Monday. With this, Mysore Zoo has become the third in the country to house Asiatic lions after Delhi and Hyderabad.

Anil Kumble had struck a deal with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. This is the first time Gujarat, the habitat for Asiatic lions, has sent the big cat outside its state in the past 10 years.

Kumble inaugurated the lions enclosure after a pooja and christened the duo as Shankara and Gowri. And adopted Shankara in his childrens name at Rs 1 lakh for one year. The certificate was in the name of his children Aaruni, Mayas and Svasti. Kumble also extended the adoption of Giraffe calf Lakshmi by a year by paying Rs 40,000.

Talking to reporters, Kumble said the efforts are on to provide world-class facilities at the zoo. He also promised to rope in more cricketers for conservation of wild animals through the adoption scheme. Zaheer and Srinath have supported the cause, he added.

Mysore Zoo did not have Asiatic lions for 21 years after a pair of them had died. The Asiatic lion is smaller in size compared to African lion, which is regarded as a hybrid breed. Three hybrid lions were relocated to Shimoga Zoo to facilitate housing of Asiatic lions. The lions were quarantined for four weeks before put on public view. With this, the number of lions in the Mysore zoo has now gone up to four and the total number of species is 165.

Zebra from South Africa

Mysore Zoo is likely to get zebras from South Africa and birds from Germany. Talks are under way to exchange animals from the zoos of Hyderabad, Zoo Authority of Karnataka chairman M Nanjundaswamy told reporters.

Four cheetahs

Four cheetahs, which came from a Germany zoo in March, are yet to recover from jet lag. They will be shifted to enclosures in 10 days, said zoo executive director K B Markandaiah.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-11/mysore/29405711_1_asiatic-lions-mysore-zoo-zoo-authority

Can they tell us more about global warming ?

Saturday April 9, 2011

Brainy birds

By Graham Simmons

Do birds confer and make wise decisions? Can they tell us more about global warming? A visit to Jamnagar, Gujarat, proves interesting.

I had always thought that twitchers (committed bird-watchers) were just one step up from train-spotters on the ladder of moronity, so when invited to attend a birdwatching conference in Jamnagar (Gujarat, India), I couldn’t help wondering whether this would be just another dork fest or a meeting of real significance.

Fortunately, enlightenment came in the imposing form of His Highness Jamsaheb Shatrushakyasinhji Jadeja, Maharaja of Jamnagar and an outstanding ornithologist and wildlife expert. Speaking at the Global Birdwatching Conference in Jamnagar, the Maharaja predicted that bird migratory patterns would in future be among the leading predictors of climate change.

Above and below: Painted storks in Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary.

“Do birds have intelligence?” he asked.

“We give too much credence to instinct — but what about their innovative ways in life and powers of communication? We should study changes in bird habitats. All these changes are for a reason, and they can be forward indicators of transformations about to happen in the world,” he argued.

It soon became apparent why Jamnagar had been chosen as a conference venue. The adjacent Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary and Narara Marine National Park, which are right on the Indo-Asian Flyway for migratory birds, host over 250 species of birds. The 600ha sanctuary is a unique wetland ecosystem, with freshwater, brackish water and saltwater habitats right next to one another. Pelicans, cranes and flamingos (among many others) use the reserve for roosting and nesting.

Brushing the cobwebs out of my eyes I joined an early morning visit to Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, along a raised bund-road that divided the fresh and saltwater habitats. The diversity of birdlife at the time was not exactly overwhelming — maybe the birds had been out raging the previous night and it was too early for them. But the soft light of pre-dawn, gleaming off a pristine lotus pond, provided a superb backdrop for the Painted Storks, Crested Grebes, Bulbuls and Cranes that had ventured onto the scene.

And in marshlands on the other side of the road, another phalanx of waterbirds was starting to stir. A later sunset visit revealed yet more birds, with egrets and herons stalking the wetlands in impressive numbers.

Nikanth Patel, now 21 years old, grew up in Khijadiya village.

“I’ve seen so many species of birds disappear since I was young”, he said. “I don’t know why this has happened.”

But the group Birds of Gujarat did have an answer.

“Species are disappearing because of human activities,” they said. “At the moment, 192 birds are classified as critically endangered as a result of habitat loss, hunting, pollution, climate change, human disturbance and other reasons.”

Sunset over the sanctuary.

Despite species losses, Gujarat is still one of the best places to see birds in their natural habitat, with the state boasting over 50 bird wetland reserves including Khijadiya, Nalsarovar, Porbandar and Thol Lakes Bird Sanctuaries. Although it is just 5% of India’s land area, Gujarat is either a home or a stop-off point for around 30% of the country’s 3,200 bird species, representing 70 of the 76 bird families found in India.

The state is also said to have Asia’s biggest area of grasslands (the Banni grasslands of Kachchh) as well as the Little Rann of Kutch, which in season becomes the world’s largest breeding ground for flamingos.

A visit to Narara Marine National Park is also a “must-do”. Its mangrove forests, coral reefs and 42 offshore islands promise an outstanding nature-feast. But at the time of my visit, disappointment was on the agenda.

“Sorry, there’s an unusually low tide, so we can’t launch the boats!” said a Park official.

Egrets and herons stalk the wetlands of Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary. — GRAHAM SIMMONS

Still, we got to take in the park’s excellent new interpretive centre and then explore the extensive sand-flats with their hordes of sandpipers and waders. In the heat of the day, I took shelter under the low mangroves, which were surrounded by surreal-looking gardens of mangrove shoots poking their heads through the sand.

Later, I caught up with Dr Naranbhai Karangia, of Jamnagar’s Kennedy village. Dr Karangia, a former farmer, has since his childhood been a passionate rescuer of injured peacocks. Each year, he sponsors temporary feeding centres for over 1,000 peacocks; these are set up for about three months just after the monsoons, when the fields have been harvested and there is consequently little food left for the birds.

Dr Karangia, with his humble and unassuming manner, has become something of a legend around Jamnagar.

Sadly, it was soon time to leave Jamnagar and hit the road to Porbandar — the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. But sanctuary or no sanctuary, it soon became apparent that the whole of this region was a bird hotel without peer. Egrets in vast numbers took to the water of a drainage pond, while a roadside bird hide looked out over an island that provided a roosting ground for thousands of migratory birds. Porbandar even has its own bird sanctuary, attracting Curlews, Flamingos, Little Cormorants and other species.

I soon came to lament my own limited skills in understanding and maybe learning from bird behaviour. As yet, I felt I was still little more than a twitcher, a dorky type whose only claim to being part-human is the ability to tick off bird names on a list. Gujarat is a well-known transit stop for the Bar-tailed Godwit; is it also a visiting place for the Western Halfwit, whose only desire is to collect “sightings” or camera images rather than developing a real empathy with the birds.

Once again, a story told by the Maharaja of Jamnagar at the Global Birdwatching Conference shed some light on the wonders of the bird world. The Maharaja spoke about the intelligence shown by the Barrow’s Golden Eye, a diving sea duck found in Iceland.

A few years ago, due to a shortage of the ducks’ staple food, the Black-eyed larvae, the birds met and apparently arranged for 600 non-breeders among the flock to emigrate so that there would be enough food left for the rest. These 600 were later found in the Hudson’s Bay area of Canada.

“The point is that the birds studied the situation, conferred and came up with a solution,” said the Maharaja. “That derogatory term ‘birdbrained’ could not be further from the truth.”

The birds conferred? Does this sound absurd?

The Maharaja’s words called to mind Farid Ud’din Attar’s Sufi epic The Conference of the Birds, that 12th Century spiritual allegory that I am far from even beginning to understand. Birdwatcher Linda Liu, who recently reviewed Attar’s work on her blog, Wings Spirit, said that “after becoming a serious birder, (I found) a revisit of this book brought me to a higher level of realisation.”

“You need to read this book like tasting a good wine,” continues Liu. “And you will swallow its essence only when you understand life should be embraced with love not hate, with peace not war”.

So, maybe birds really ARE smarter than humans. Perhaps scientists trying to find answers to global warming and other world problems should urgently seek their advice!

GETTING THERE

Jamnagar is about seven hours by road from Gujarat’s biggest city, Ahmedabad.

GETTING AROUND

Hiring a car with a driver and guide is highly recommended. Contact, for example, JN Rao Travel Consutancy Services (tel +91 79 2640 2875, see: http://www.jnraoindia.com/car-coach-rental.php).

Budget around RM200 per person per day (twin share), all-inclusive (that is, premium accommodation plus meals, car, driver and guide).

Of this, the cost for the driver is just RM25, so do the right thing and buy your driver a meal or two, or three! Alternately, catch a train to Jamnagar (six to eight hours) and then get around by inexpensive local taxi.

KHIJADIYA BIRD SANCTUARY

About 12km from Jamnagar. The best times to visit are at sunrise and sunset.

उसे हमारा और हमें उनका भरोसा है,

उसे हमारा और हमें उनका भरोसा है,

उना के जुड़ वडली गाव में शेरनी बच्चे समेत किसान परिवार के खेत में दो महीने से रहती है

जी न्यूज़ संवाददाता हनीफ खोखर की एक खास रिपोर्ट,

जूनागढ़, गुजरात. १२ अप्रैल २०११

कहेते है के किसी भी जंगली जानवर और इन्सान आसपास में और एक साथ रहते है तो उनके बिच दोस्ती का रिश्ता कायम हो जाता है, फिर वोह चाहे सब से खूंखार जानवर क्यों न हो, जी हा ऐसा ही एक किस्सा सामने आया है गुजरात के गिर के जंगल के इलाके में जूनागढ़ जिले के उना तहशील के जुड वडाली गाव के एक किसान के खेत में एक शेरनी ने पिछले दो महीने डेरा डाला हुवा है,

क्यों की इस शेरनी ने खेत में तिन बच्चो को जन्म दिया है वैसे तो बच्चोवाली शेरनी ज्यादा गुस्सेइली और हमलावर बन जाती है मगर किसान के परिवार को न तो शेरनी शे कोई डर है और न तो शेरनी को किसान परिवार से कोई डर है क्यों की शेरनी पिछले दो महीनो से खेत में अपने बच्चो को साथ रह रही है और बच्चो को बडा कर रही है

गुजरात के जूनागढ़ जिले के उना तहेशील के जुड़ वडली गाव के सरपंच कांतिभाई लवजीभाई उकानी के खेत में एक अजीबो गरीब सामने आया है, कांतिभाई उकनी के खेत को एक शेरनी ने दो महीनो से अपना आशियाना बना लिया है, क्यों की शेरनी ने इस खेत में तिन बच्चो को जन्म दिया हुवा है, हैरत की बात यह है की जब भी शेरनी बच्चे को जन्म देती है तब बच्चो की सुरक्षा के लिये ज्यादा गुस्सेइली और हमलावर बन जाती है, इंसानों से ठीक अपने परिवार से भी दूर चली जाती है मगर, यहाँ शेरनी और उनके ३ छोटे छोटे बच्चे किसान कांतिभाई उकानी के परिवार के साथ घुल मिल के रह रहे है, कांतिभाई उकानी के बच्चे महक और आदर्श और उनके दोस्त का बेटा प्रीत हर रोज शेर के बच्चो के आस पास खेलते रहते है, मगर शेरनी कभी भी किसी पर हमला नहीं करती, हा. एक दुरी जरुर बनाई रखनी पड़ती है, मगर फिर भी शेरनी खुछ नहीं करती और यह सब पिछले दो महीनो से चलता है, अब तो बचे बड़े होने लगे है फिर भी शेरनी बच्चो को लेकर खेत में इधर उधर घुमती रहती है, बच्चे कहते है हमें शेरनी के छोटे छोटे प्यारे बचो के सामने खेलना बहोत अच्छा लगता है,

जुड़ वडली गाव के सरपंच कान्ति भाई का खेत बिल कुल गाव के पास में ही है और गिर के जंगल से बहोत ही करीब है ९० बीघा के इस खेत में गन्ना की खेती है और केशर आम का भी बड़ा बगीचा है इस लिए शेरनी पूरा दिन आम के पेड़ के निचे आराम करती रहती है और बच्चे अपनी मासे मस्तिय करते खेलते रहते है रात को बच्चो को गन्ने के खेत में छिपा कर शिकार करने के लिए चली जाती है, क्यों के इस इलाके में तेंदुवे की भी बड़ी आबादी है इस लिए शेरनी को तेंदुवे से भी बच्चो को बचाना पड़ता है, इसी लिए तो दो महीने से इस खेत को ही अपना आशियाना बना लिया है, महेमन बनी इस शेरनी को भी विश्वास हो चूका है की उनके बच्चे इसिही जगह सुरक्षित है, इतना ही नहीं शेरनी जब भी शिकार के लिए आसपास में जाती है तब बच्चो को अकेला छोड़कर जाती है, कांतिभाई उकानी का परिवार और गाव के लोग शेरनी का बहोत ही ख्याल रहते है, इस खेत के मालिक कांतिभाई का कहेना है की जब से शरनी हमारी महेमन बनी है तब से खेत में भरी नुकसान हो रहा है, कोई भी अकेला खेत में जा नहीं सकता, क्यों के शेरनी कहा होती है उसका कोई पता नहीं चलता, कभी गलती से आमना सामना हो जाये तो शेरनी बच्चो की सुरक्षा की खातिर हमला भी करसकती है, इस लिए खेत के अन्दर फसलो को पानी पिलाने के लिए या दुसरे कामो के लिए हमने जाना बंध कर दिया है, हमारा नुकशान चाहे कितना भी हो मगर हम नहीं कहते की शेरनी हमारे खेत से चली जाये हम कहते है की शेरनी हमेशा हमेशा के लिए यहाँ रहे और उनके बच्चो को बड़ा करे.

यह घटना पहेलिबर नहीं हुई इस खेत में पहेले भी कई बार शेरनी जंगल छोड़कर बच्चो को जन्म देने के लिए आई है, कांतिभाई के पिता लवजीभाई और उनके ८० साल के बुजुर्ग पिता भवानभाई तो २४ घंटे खेत में ही रहते है उनपर भी कभी शेरनी ने हमला नहीं किया, भवानभाई का कहेना है की यह सिल सिला कई साल से चला आ रहा है, शेरनीया हर साल हमारे खेत में और आसपास के इलाके में बच्चे को जन्म देने को आती है, शेरनी खेत में बच्चो को छोड़ कर आसपास में मवेशिका शिकार करने चले जाती है और बच्चे यहाँ खेलते रहते है, और में उनकी देखभाल करता हु, हमें उनसे कोई डर नहीं लगता क्यों की हमें उसका भरोसा है उसको हमारा भरोसा है

गिर का जंगल दुनिया का अकेला जंगल है जहा एशियाई शेर का निवास हे, गुजरात के इस गिर के जंगल में 2010 में शेरो की हुई आखरी गिनती के अनुसार कुल मिलके 411 शेर है और पिछली मेटिंग शीजन में 30 % शेरनी गर्भवती थी उनमे से ज्यादातर शेरनी ने दो से तिन बच्चो को जन्म दिया है, एशियाटिक शेरो के बारे जानकर हनीफ खोखर का कहेना है की वैसे तो शेरनीया शेरो के जुंड (प्राइड) के साथ में ही रहेती हे मगर जब उसको बच्चो को जन्म देना होता है तब शेरनी अपने जुंड से अलग हो जाती है और शेरनिया बच्चो को ऐसी जगा जन्म देने चली जाती हे जिस जगह के बारे में कोई भी जंगली जानवर को पता न चले या किसी को भी शेरनी और बच्चो के बारे में कोई भनक तक न हो इस तरह से दूर दराज के इलाको में या ऐसे खेतो जैसी सुरक्षित जगहों पर ही रहेकर बच्चो को बड़ा करती है, जबतक बच्चे बड़े न हो जाये तब तक शेरनिया अपने जुंड से अलग ही रहती हे, नहीं तो अपने ही जुंड के शेर या दूसरी शेरनिया ही बच्चो को मार देता है या तो तेंदुवे, लकड़ बघ्घे जेसे जंगली जानवर मार देते है. इसी लिए शेरनिया जंगल के बाहरी इलाको में चली जाती है,

इस अनोखी घटना के बारेमे जब वन विभाग को पता चला तो गिर फोरेस्ट सेंचुरी के प्रिंसिपल चीफ वाइल्ड लाइफ कंजरवेटर आर. एल. मीणा ने ख़ुशी जाहिर करते हुवे कहा की गिर के शेरो की सुरक्षा तो यहाँ के गाव के लोग और मलधारी कर रहा हे लोगो को तेंदुवे से दर जरुर लगता है मगर शेर से कोई खतरा नहीं हे, शेर भी इंसानों का ख्याल रख रहे है और इसी लिए गिर में शेरो की संख्या बढ़ी है, कांतिभाई और उनके परिवार की तारीफ करते हुवे मीणा ने कहा की यह किसान परिवार शेरनी और उनके बच्चो की अच्छी सुरक्षा कर रहा हे इस लिए हम यह कहते है की अय्से लोगो को प्रोत्साहन देने के लिए वन विभाग द्वारा उनको सन्मानित करने का सोच रहे है क्यों के गुजरात वन विभाग के कर्मचारी तो शेरो की सुरक्षा का जिम्मा उठाते ही हे मगर असलमे शेरो की सुरक्षा यहाँ के लोग ही कर रहे हे यही सब से बड़ी ख़ुशी की बात है.

जूनागढ़ जिले के उना तहेशील का यह जुड़ वडाली गाव गिर के जंगल के बहोत ही करीब है और और श्र के जुंड अक्षर इस इलाके में आते रहते है मगर शेर कभी भी किसी पर हमला नहीं करते दूसरी और यहाँ के लोग भी शेर से इतना घुल मिल गए है की शेर को छेड़ना तो एक तरफ शेरो का संरक्षण करते है, कभी कभा शेर और इंसानों का अचानक आमना सामना हो जाता है तब हमले की घटना बनती है मगर ऐसे किस्से बहुत ही कम सामने आये है, ज्यादातर तो इसी किस्से की तरह शेर और इंसानों के बिच दोस्ती के किस्से ही मशहूर हुवे है, इस सच्ची कहानी में भी इन्सान और जंगली जानवर के बिच प्यार और निर्भयता साफ दिखे देती है. और इन्ही वजह से गुजरात के इस गिर के जंगल में शेर सुरक्षित है और उनकी संख्या बढ़ रही है,

`Jurassic Park` coming up in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: A dinosaur fossil park will soon come up at Kheda district`s Rayoli village which was once hom

e to a large population of the species.
Some 1,000 fossilised eggs of the extinct species have been found at the site, at Rayoli village in Balasinor, some 85 km from here, which is now being developed as a `dinosaur tourism` destination.
The site is governed by the Gujarat Ecological and Research Foundation. "Balasinor dinosaur fossil park is a unique site, just like flamingo city of Kutch or Asiatic lion sanctuary at Sasan Gir. We are working hard to develop these places and turn them into international attractions," Tourism Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said.

The dinosaur fossils were first discovered at Rayoli in 1981 by the Geological Survey of India. A year later, approximately 1,000 dinosaur eggs were discovered, making this place famous among the palaeontologists.

Scientists say that at least seven species of dinosaur once roamed here; the fossils are estimated to be around 65 million years old.

Vyas said it was widely believed that this place was a part of the `Shiva crater` that was formed millions of years ago by a meteor crash. The meteor crash, and the later volcano eruptions devastated this area, scientists believe.

The state government has provided a grant of Rs six crore for the development of fossil park; the work is currently on.

Gujarat government invited a group of 50 palaeontologists to explore the site in 1997. Since then, a large number of palaeontologists have visited the area.

PTI

Asia's last lions lose conservation funds to tigers

Asia's last lions lose conservation funds to tigers
Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
January 24, 2011

Gir lions become more popular with tourists, but threaten livestock of adjacent villages.

The last lions of Asia and the final survivors of the Asiatic lion subspecies (Panthera leo persica) are losing their federal conservation funding to tiger programs, reports the Indian media agency Daily News & Analysis (DNA). While the Asiatic lion once roamed Central Asia, the Middle East, and even Eastern Europe, today the subspecies survives only in India's Gir Forest National Park in the north-western state of Gujarat.

"We are unable to understand why the central government is being so tightfisted with lions when the tigers are being allocated huge amounts regularly. Though the state government has enough allocated funds for now under the Lion Conservation Society of India, several mega projects are on hold," a senior forest official explained to DNA.

The lion population has been increasing and today numbers 411 individuals, whereas India's tiger population continues to plunge due to poaching and habitat loss. Last year, the Chinese year of the tiger, brought global media attention to the plight of tiger's worldwide, while the world's last population of Asiatic lions remains largely unknown.

However, that may be changing. Last year saw visitors to Gir Forest National Park increase by 55% after the state of Gujarat effectively promoted tourism.

Still, India appears—perhaps due to international pressure to save its tigers—to have selected tiger programs over lion conservation.

"The lions are safe in Gujarat and multiplying. We were impressed by the way Gujarat dealt with the poaching problem. The forest dwellers in Gir are tolerant towards the big cat, while the tiger is being killed in other states. That is a burning problem," a source told DNA.

Even though lion poaching and poisoning has lessened, as top predators Asiatic lions are quite capable of causing considerable distress to adjacent villages. A report byNTD television states that local villagers are in 'constant fear' of the lions, which frequently kill local livestock.

Given its tiny population and the fact that it survives in a single location, the Asiatic lion continues to be threatened by in-breeding, disease, fires, and illegal mining. As well, conflict with villagers continues, and lions have been poached and poisoned in the past. The subspecies is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List.


Young male Asiatic lion. Photo by: Madhusudhan Nanjappa.

NTD's report on livestock kills by the Gir Forest's lions. By Hanif khokhar ANI Gujarat.

GUJARAT SETS UP TASK FORCE TO CHECK ILLEGAL MINING

GUJARAT SETS UP TASK FORCE TO CHECK ILLEGAL MINING

AHMEDABAD | JAN 21, 2011

The Gujarat government has informed the High court that it has formed a special task force (STF) and grievance redressal committees at state and district levels to check illegal mining in the state.

Information regarding this was placed in form of an affidavit before the division bench of Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya and Justice Akil Kureshi, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) against illegal mining in Gir forest region that was filed by RTI activist Amit Jethva few days before he was shot dead.

The court in its order of December 21 last year had directed the Principal Secretary, Mines and Minerals Department, to remain present and had also ordered government to file an action taken report (ATR) with regard to implementation of Gujarat Mineral (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2005.

Following the order, Principal Secretary Maheshwar Sahu remained present before the court and the

government also filed an affidavit along with ATR.

According to the affidavit, government has formed a special task force and grievance redressal committee at state and district levels through a notification dated January 17.
The government further said that it will hold police officers, revenue officers and officers of Geology and Mining department of the concerned area accountable and liable for negligence if there was detection of illegal mining activities in their area.
The state government has further said that round the clock control room has been set up to receive complaints about illegal mining. Besides, incentive in form of cash award for informers was also in force.

During previous hearing in December last the court had said that it was not convinced with the government's actions to stop illegal mining in Gir region.

It had further said that the law against illegal mining was there since long but such activities have been rampant in the Gir region, as stated in its own affidavit filed in the court.

The PIL against illegal mining in Gir forest region was filed by Jethva a few days before he was shot dead opposite the High Court on July 20, 2010. After Jethva's death the court had included his younger brother Bhavani and uncle Vijay Rathod as petitioner in the PIL.

Jethva's father Bhikalal Jethva had alleged that BJP MP from Junagadh, Dinu Solanki was behind the murder of his son as he had filed a PIL against illegal mining.

Bhikalal has also filed petition in the High Court demanding investigation into his son's death by CBI or any other independent agency.

The Ahmedabad crime branch, probing Jethva's murder has arrested six persons including Pratap alias Shiva Solanki, nephew of BJP MP from Junagadh Dinu Solanki.

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?709277

“Our hearts are broken after his death,” Balubhai shocha

January 23, 2011

Lynsey Addario for The New York Times Balu Bhai Socha, an environmental advocate, said that he now thought twice before challenging powerful interests and that he wondered if the risks were worth it.

Bhikhubhai Jethwa sifts through photographs of his son,

January 23, 2011

Lynsey Addario for The New York Times Bhikhubhai Jethwa sifts through photographs of his son, Amit, who was killed after filing a lawsuit to stop an illicit, multimillion-dollar limestone mine run by powerful local politicians.

January 22, 2011

High Price for India’s Information Law

By LYDIA POLGREEN

Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

A man herded sheep on land in the Gir Forest that had been torn up by illegal limestone mining.

KODINAR, India -- Amit Jethwa had just left his lawyer's office after discussing a lawsuit he had filed to stop an illicit limestone quarry with ties to powerful local politicians. That is when the assassins struck, speeding out of the darkness on a roaring motorbike, pistols blazing. He died on the spot, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. He was 38.

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• Times Topic: India

Mr. Jethwa was one of millions of Indians who had embraced the country's five-year-old Right to Information Act, which allows citizens to demand almost any government information. People use the law to stop petty corruption and to solve their most basic problems, like getting access to subsidized food for the poor or a government pension without having to pay a bribe, or determining whether government doctors and teachers are actually showing up for work.

But activists like Mr. Jethwa who have tried to push such disclosures further -- making pointed inquiries at the dangerous intersection of high-stakes business and power politics -- have paid a heavy price. Perhaps a dozen have been killed since 2005, when the law was enacted, and countless others have been beaten and harassed.

In many of these cases, the information requested involved allegations of corruption and collusion between politicians and big-money business.

"Now that power people are realizing the power of the right to information, there is a backlash," said Amitabh Thakur, an activist and police official who is writing a book about people killed for demanding information under the law. "It has become dangerous."

India may be the world's largest democracy, but it remains dogged by the twin legacies of feudalism and colonialism, which have often meant that citizens are treated like subjects. Officials who are meant to serve them often act more like feudal lords than representatives of the people.

The law was intended to be a much-needed leveler between the governors and the governed. In many ways it has worked, giving citizens the power to demand a measure of accountability from bureaucrats and politicians.

When the law was passed, Mr. Jethwa, a longtime activist who nursed a lifelong grudge against those who abused official power, immediately seized upon it as a powerful new tool.

His objective was to stop illegal quarries near the Gir National Park, 550 square miles of scrubland and deciduous forest near his hometown, along the southern coast of Gujarat, India's most prosperous state. The preserve is the only remaining habitat of the rare Asiatic lion. The animal is featured on the national emblem of India, and is considered by Hindus to be a sacred incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

But the forest sits in a mineral-rich area of coastal Gujarat dotted with cement factories that churn out building materials to fuel India's near double-digit economic growth. The limestone that lies just beneath the soil in and around the Gir Forest is an ideal component of cement. By law, the forest and a three-mile boundary around it are off limits to all mining activity. But quarries the size of several football fields have been cut deep into the earth in the protected zone.

This mining has had serious consequences not only for the forest preserve, but also for water used for drinking and farming. The thirsty limestone is a natural barrier between seawater and fresh groundwater. A recent state government report concluded that limestone mining had allowed seawater to flow into the aquifer, causing an "irreversible loss."

Balu Bhai Socha, an environmental advocate who worked with Mr. Jethwa, said the pace of mining rapidly increased as the local economy boomed.

"The speed with which the illegal mining was going on, we realized, within 10 years they will clean out the whole forest," Mr. Socha said.

Mr. Jethwa repeatedly filed information requests to unearth the names of those operating the quarries and to see what action had been taken against them. He discovered there were 55 illegal quarries in and around the preserve. One name stood out among the records of land leases, electricity bills and inspection reports: Dinubhai Solanki, a powerful member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which governs Gujarat.

Mr. Solanki, who had risen from the State Legislature to Parliament, was a local kingmaker and an imperious presence. He had the backing of the local police and bureaucrats, activists here said. Mr. Jethwa and many others suspected that he was the mastermind and principal beneficiary of the illegal mining operation.

In February 2008, Mr. Jethwa was attacked by a gang of men on motorbikes. He was beaten so badly that he had to be hospitalized. He immediately suspected Mr. Solanki.

"If someone attacks me, or kills me in an accident, if my body is injured -- for these acts the Kodinar MLA Dinu Solanki will be responsible," he wrote in a letter to Gujarat's chief minister, Narendra Modi, after the attack.

His father begged him to stop.

"I cautioned him several times about the danger," the elder Mr. Jethwa said. "But he used to say: 'Forget that you have three sons and say you have two sons. Let me do my work.' He would say, 'My religion is rule of law.' "

Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

Balu Bhai Socha, an environmental advocate, said that he now thought twice before challenging powerful interests and that he wondered if the risks were worth it.

Related

• Times Topic: India

Enlarge This Image

Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

Bhikhu Jethwa sifts through photographs of his son, Amit, who was killed after filing a lawsuit to stop an illicit, multimillion-dollar limestone mine run by powerful local politicians.

Mr. Jethwa's information requests found sheaves of correspondence between forestry officials and local bureaucrats showing that despite repeated efforts to shut down the quarries, the practice continued.

By last June, he felt that he had amassed enough evidence to file a lawsuit to stop the mining. He filed the papers on June 28. On July 20, late at night, he was gunned down, leaving behind a wife and two children.

Because of his activism and the place where he died, practically on the doorstep of the state high court, political pressure forced an unusually swift investigation. Detectives used cellphone records to link Shiva Solanki, the nephew of Dinubhai Solanki, to the killing, and he has been charged with conspiracy and murder. He is accused of hiring a contract killer to murder Mr. Jethwa.

But few people believe that Shiva Solanki, who works for his uncle, could have carried out and paid for a contract killing on his own.

Anand Yagnik, a prominent human rights lawyer in Gujarat, said that the police had made no effort to investigate Mr. Solanki.

"The message that has gone out is that if you resort to your right to information to try to harass a political person, even after your murder, that man will go scot-free," Mr. Yagnik said, seated below a portrait of Gandhi in his basement law office in Ahmedabad.

The police did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the investigation into Mr. Jethwa's death. Mr. Solanki told reporters at his office here that because the case was under investigation he would not answer questions.

"You are welcome to sit here, have a cup of tea," he said. "I will not say a word."

Mr. Jethwa's death has sent a chill through the community of activists here. Mr. Socha, the environmental activist, said that he now thought twice before challenging powerful interests and that he wondered if the risks were worth it.

"Our hearts are broken after his death," Mr. Socha said. "You cannot fix the system. Everybody is getting money. If I give my life, what is the point?"

Hari Kumar contributed reporting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/world/asia/23india.html