With a view to inform people about legal provisions pertaining to protection of Asiatic lions, the forest department of Gujarat has launched a 'Sinha Rath' (lion chariot) from Sasan Gir in Junagadh to be taken across 130 villages to spread awareness about wildlife conservation.
The awareness drive was launched on Sunday amid reports of deaths of five Asiatic lions in last 15 days.
"It is a modified jeep with flax banners listing dos and don'ts with respect to lions. A loudspeaker has been mounted on the vehicle which plays a pre-recorded audio message asking villagers to support conservation of lions," Deputy Conservator of Forests, Gir (East Division) Anshuman Sharma told PTI.
The vehicle will pass through 130 odd villages located on the Gir East forest division border and create awareness about wildlife and legal provisions, he said.
Forest department staff members accompanying the vehicle have been interacting with villagers to emphasise the need to protect Asiatic lions, he said.
The Gir National Park and wildlife sanctuary which is spread over 1,412 square kilometres, is well known as the remaining habitat of Asiatic lions, which also has a large leopard population.
The sanctuary also has a thriving population of sambar and spotted deer, chinkara gazelle, neelgai and chowsingha, the world's only four-horned antelope.
Source By :Timesofindia
Friday, August 16, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Residents file PIL against Chandrabhaga pollution
Complaining about environmental pollution and difficulty faced due to the very dirty Chandrabhaga river, residents of Ranip area have moved Gujarat high court by filing a public interest litigation.
The PIL contends that solid waste is being dumped in the ravines of Chandrabhaga at Ranip and the river carries polluted water from upstream - from Tragad, Kaligam and Chainpur villages. The dumped waste and polluted stream have created a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The PIL contends that residents of Ninjaripunj Co-operative Housing Society have been suffering due to this environmental pollution for the last ten years and they have repeatedly made representations before various authorities. But the administration hasn't heeded to their requests.
The PIL has also highlighted that due to garbage dumping, the stream has been obstructed and with percolation of dirty water, the area now does not have potable drinking water. It further claims that the results of water quality assessment conducted by the civic body reflected that the water extracted from ground from nearby the stream was not potable.
The petitioners have also complained about the similar phenomenon at the Sabarmati river, of which the Chandrabhaga is a tributary. They have requested the court to direct authorities like the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, state government, health department, Gujarat Pollution Control Board and environment and forest department to take remedial measures to improve the situation.
The PIL is to come up for hearing on Friday.
Meanwhile, in connection with another PIL, the authorities have assured the high court that it would redress a similar issue near the Dandi bridge area over Chandrabhaga. The HC had taken suo motu cognizance of the issue after a fire damaged the historic structure last year. The civic body has placed its plan of laying down a drainage line and setting up two pumping stations in this area.
by : times of india
The PIL contends that solid waste is being dumped in the ravines of Chandrabhaga at Ranip and the river carries polluted water from upstream - from Tragad, Kaligam and Chainpur villages. The dumped waste and polluted stream have created a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The PIL contends that residents of Ninjaripunj Co-operative Housing Society have been suffering due to this environmental pollution for the last ten years and they have repeatedly made representations before various authorities. But the administration hasn't heeded to their requests.
The PIL has also highlighted that due to garbage dumping, the stream has been obstructed and with percolation of dirty water, the area now does not have potable drinking water. It further claims that the results of water quality assessment conducted by the civic body reflected that the water extracted from ground from nearby the stream was not potable.
The petitioners have also complained about the similar phenomenon at the Sabarmati river, of which the Chandrabhaga is a tributary. They have requested the court to direct authorities like the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, state government, health department, Gujarat Pollution Control Board and environment and forest department to take remedial measures to improve the situation.
The PIL is to come up for hearing on Friday.
Meanwhile, in connection with another PIL, the authorities have assured the high court that it would redress a similar issue near the Dandi bridge area over Chandrabhaga. The HC had taken suo motu cognizance of the issue after a fire damaged the historic structure last year. The civic body has placed its plan of laying down a drainage line and setting up two pumping stations in this area.
by : times of india
Rajasthan gets third tiger reserve
The Rajasthan government has notified the Mukundra hills sanctuary as the third tiger reserve in the state.The reserve area will be over 759 sq km spread between four districts of Kota, Bundi,Chittorgarh and Jhalawar near theRanthambore tiger reserve. "Nearly 417 sq km have been earmarked as the core tiger habitat, while 342.82 sq km has been notified as the buffer zone," senior a forest official. The other two tiger reserves of Ranthambore and Sariskahave a core area nearly thrice this size.
"With powers bestowed under Section 38 V of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, we have declared Mukundra hills national park as a tiger reserve. When the budget announcement was made last financial year, we had taken the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) into confidence. Now that we have declared it as a reserve, we will be forwarding the notification to them," said A S Brar, head of forest forces and chief wildlife warden, Rajasthan.
The Section 38V of the Wildlife Protection Act says that the state government shall, on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority, notify an area as a tiger reserve. The state government has received an in-principle nod from the NTCA.
According to Brar, a three-member expert committee had been constituted under the then chief wildlife warden A Choubey which included a member from the state wildlife board and the chief conservator of forests, Kota, which surveyed the area and consulted the gram sabha. Consultation with the gram sabha is necessary, as under the law, the core area of the reserve is to be an inviolate space and all villages have to be relocated. However, the law permits man and animal to co-exist with some restriction on commercial activities.
The core area of the Mukundra reserve currently has six villages, two of which are uninhabited. Eventually all these villages will have to be relocated funded by the NTCA. The sanctuary currently has wolves, sloth bear, chinkaras and leopards.
"After the declaration of the area as a tiger reserve, NTCA will also give funds for developing the forest area," said an official.
The Mukundra hill sanctuary was already declared as the satellite core area of Ranthambore reserve by the NTCA and Tigers often stray into the area. "The objective was always to link this to Ranthambore so as to let the tigers that stray from the park come and breed here. It was the next best forest after Ranthambore for rehabilitation of tigers. But we have went a step ahead and declared it as a reserve itself," said the official.
Officials added that at a later stage, tigers will be relocated from Ranthambore reserve so as to provide optimum space to the big cats. Before that the annual working plan for the development and management of the reserve will have to be approved by the NTCA.
105 whale sharks rescued in last two years along Gujarat coast
The forest department and the rescue teams along the Gujarat coast have rescued 105 whale sharks in the last two years.
Minister of state for forest and environment Govind Patel told the House in a written reply to Asarwa MLA Rajnikanth Patel's question that as on December 31, 2012, a compensation of Rs 7.60 lakh was paid to fishermen whose nets were damaged in shark rescue exercise.
The minister said that whale shark protection campaign was on in the state. An officer of the department said that Saurashtra coast was now globally known as breeding site of whale shark. Hunting of the whale shark was an important fishing activity in Saurashtra coast as it fetched substantial earning to the fishermen community.
The forest department and naturalists joined hands and hunting was banned in 2001, in Gujarat, after it became the first fish to be listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The state forest department, along with the Wildlife Trust of India, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and other local NGOs and nature lovers launched a whale shark protection campaign in the state which turned as a role model for conservation.
Morari Bapu was roped in as an ambassador for the project. He went to Dwarka and blessed a whale shark. Although Rs 25,000 is paid for each rescue, the loss to the fishermen was higher.
by:times of india
Minister of state for forest and environment Govind Patel told the House in a written reply to Asarwa MLA Rajnikanth Patel's question that as on December 31, 2012, a compensation of Rs 7.60 lakh was paid to fishermen whose nets were damaged in shark rescue exercise.
The minister said that whale shark protection campaign was on in the state. An officer of the department said that Saurashtra coast was now globally known as breeding site of whale shark. Hunting of the whale shark was an important fishing activity in Saurashtra coast as it fetched substantial earning to the fishermen community.
The forest department and naturalists joined hands and hunting was banned in 2001, in Gujarat, after it became the first fish to be listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The state forest department, along with the Wildlife Trust of India, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and other local NGOs and nature lovers launched a whale shark protection campaign in the state which turned as a role model for conservation.
Morari Bapu was roped in as an ambassador for the project. He went to Dwarka and blessed a whale shark. Although Rs 25,000 is paid for each rescue, the loss to the fishermen was higher.
by:times of india
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