Peacock poaching feared near Surat

SURAT: Feathers and remains of peacocks have been found in farms near Ranaj village of Mahuva taluka in Surat district in the last two days. Locals and nature activists fear that at least seven peacocks had been killed in these farms for their meat and feathers. The peacocks had gone missing in the last one week from mango orchards around Ranaj village.

Meanwhile, a peacock and a peahen, badly injured, were rescued from the farms. The peahen had injuries on leg, which the nature activists believe were caused by an iron wire trap. The peacock had injuries on eye, due to a 'gilol' attack, fracture in both legs and severe injury on the body due to its feathers having been pulled out, president of Friends of Animal Welfare Trust (FAWT) Jatin Rathod said. "When we visited the farms, we found small uncoloured feathers. This meant the carcasses and coloured feathers of the peacocks had been taken away by someone," he added.

"There were many peacocks and peahens in my mango orchard. I used to feed them and keep water for them daily. But they are missing since one week. In last two days we have found feathers in my and nearby orchards. Two severely injured birds have been rescued, which confirmed that they were victims of a poaching attempt," Sanjay Desai said.

"From the feathers found in the orchards, it seems that at least seven peacocks had been poached for meat and their feathers. Other peacocks may have fled from the location after the attack on them," Rathod said. Deputy conservator of forest, Surat, Anil Vasava said, "We had examined the location and found one peacock and one peahen in bad condition. It seems an attempt had been made to trap them for their feathers. So far we have not received any evidence of poaching from the location. However, our investigation is still on."

The rescued birds are being treated at a rehabilitation centre in Bardoli.

BY:- Times of  India

12,000 birds spotted in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary

Morigaon (Assam): More than 12 thousand birds of 26 species have been spotted in Assam's Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary during a week-long census, Forest officials said today.

The Assam Forest Department and prominent environmental organisation, 'Aarayank' conducted a week-long census which concluded today, Sanctuary's Ranger Mukul Tamuly said.
The birds include about 5,000 migratory while the remaining 7,000 belonged to local species. The migratory birds include more than hundred Siberian cranes.

The census was conducted by 40 people belonging to both the forest department and Aaranyak. The sanctuary is famed for the highest density of one-horned rhino per square kilometre.

By:times of india

Villagers demand permanent closure of GEPIL

SURAT: Villagers of around 32 coastal villages surrounding the city took out a massive rally on Monday demanding permanent closure of Gujarat Enviro Protection and Infrastructure Private Ltd (GEPIL), which has been blamed for discharging highly toxic hazardous water in Unn Khadi.
Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) in December 2011 had found two illegal connections directly discharging this hazardous waste in Unn Khadi.
The rally, organised by the Parivartan Trust involving the leaders of the affected villages around Sachin, was spearheaded by BJP rebel Dr Kanubhai Kalsaria and former state finance minister Sanat Mehta.
Tens of hundreds of villagers participated in the rally, which started from Khajod village and culminated at the district collector's office at Bahumali building at Nanpura, where the leaders of the Parivartan Trust submitted a memorandum to the district administration demanding permanent closure of GEPIL within a month's time.
The villagers, carrying placard against GEPIL and its owner Girish Luthra, shouted slogans demanding immediate closure of the company responsible for threatening the ecology and atmosphere in the coastal villages.
In December-2011, the GPCB had exposed two illegal pipelines from an Integrated Common Hazardous Waste Management Facility (ICHWMF) operated by GEPIL to dump untreated industrial waste into Unn rivulet. Following the expose, the GPCB had issued an immediate closure notice to GEPIL.
"GEPIL's illegal activities have been exposed in the GPCB findings and now we won't allow this company to operate further. The company is threat to ecology and atmosphere in the surrounding villages and it will be our sole goal to see that the company is closed permanently," said Prakash Contractor, secretary, Parivartan Trust.
Contractor added, "Today's rally was a show of strength to the state government, GIDC and other concerned departments who are still not acting tough against GEPIL. We have given a month's ultimatimum to the district administration to permanent close down the company or else we will intensify the agitation"
Before the massive rally, Parivartan Trust organised a mammoth public meeting at Khajod village, which was addressed by Dr Kalsaria and Sanat Mehta.
Kalsaria said, "I have been told that the hazardous discharge of toxic waste material by GEPIL has led to the death of more than 200 buffaloes. It is obvious that many villagers and general people surrounding the villages may have consumed the milk of these buffaloes and thus they are also suffering from one or the other health-related problem."
Mehta said, "There are many such companies in Gujarat and across the country. Being an alert citizen, it is our responsibility to expose the corrupt officers in the government agencies who are helping such companies prosper."

By : Times of India

360 delegates to attend second bird watchers conference

  The second bird watchers conference, scheduled to begin from January 19, will be attended by 360 delegates, students and researchers. 95 delegates will be from 38 different countries.

Tourism minister Jaynarayan Vyas said, "Gujarat is fast emerging as an eco-tourism destination; boasting of a wide range of pristine and even hitherto unexplored destinations for avid nature lovers. The state hosts over 520 species of birds, and has been attracting these wonderful creatures for decades."
Gujarat Tourism in partnership with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FIis organizing the Second Global Bird Watchers' Conference 2012, from January 19 in Gandhinagar.

Vyas said that encouraged by the success of the first Global Bird Watchers' Conference in November 2010 held in Khijadiya, near Jamnagar, Gujarat, it has been decided to organize the second conference at Gandhinagar.

The conference is being held at a time when large numbers of migratory birds shall visit Gujarat. Vyas said the objective is to promote Gujarat as a special bird watching destination. The USP of the conference would be the exclusive focus on capitalizing on the location and natural advantage of Gujarat. He said the delegates will be sent in groups. The first group will head to Nalsarovar, Little Rann of Kutch and Thol, while another group would go to Bhavnagar Coastal Wetlands and Velavadar - Ahmedabad and the third for Tarapur Wetlands and Khambhat.

However, Vyas admitted that the state still lagged behind when it comes to getting recognition for the water bodies. "We have just woken up and things will be sorted soon," Vyas said.

By:the times of india

CEPT to develop guidelines for Indian cities to adapt to climate change

  Imagine sudden floods at Sabarmati River arising out of climate change and a loss of Rs1,200 crore for Gujarat's Sabarmati Riverfront project!

A prior understanding of the effects of climate change and including features to adapt to these effects of climate change in the project could avoid such loses.

As experts are forecasting drastic changes in the climatic patterns - like temperatures, rainfall and so on in the next few decades because of global warming, which is a threat to both population and infrastructures in various cities. Urban planners in the country, however, could look forward to Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University for a set of ideas and advices on how to adapt features that will help avoid such losses.

The Ministry of Earth Science (MOES) has appointed Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University to develop a set of recommendations for urban planning to avoid social and economical losses arising out of climate change. Faculties of CEPT University will be conducting 2-year-long studies in three thematic areas - which include impact of climate change on communities, rainfall and flooding patterns in Ahmedabad and Surat and impact of climate change on coastal areas, before they come up with the recommendations.
Talking about the importance of such a set of recommendations, faculty at CEPT Saswat Badopadhyay said, "Infrastructures like drainage systems, roads and transportations, buildings and so on which we are developing now will last several decades. If they do not incorporate features to adapt to climate change there are going to be huge losses."
The studies will result into a set of recommendations that will be called 'sustainable habitat guideline'. "The guidelines will be handed over to Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) and MOES. These guidelines will be developed in such a way that it can become a basic reference for various cities across the country for adapting to climate change," said Saswat Badopadhyay, faculty at CEPT.

By: the times of india 

Tiger count goes up in Panna with rise in number of cubsTiger count goes up in Panna with rise in number of cubs

The Panna Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, which gained notoriety for mysterious disappearance of its big cats, is flourishing with tiger cubs again, rejoicing the success of its unique translocation experiment to revive their population.

"The tiger reserve has seven cubs and five adult tigers in its wild after the launch of an experiment involving breeding of translocated wild cats and rehabilitation of orphaned cubs ," Panna Tiger Reserve Director, R S Murthy told reporters.
The reserve has four female and a male tiger in its kitty and all of them have well adjusted to their new environment.

The number of tiger cubs in other reserves across the state is also looking up.
Kanha Tiger Reserve at present has 21-23 tiger cubs while the Pench Tiger Reserve boasts of having another 21 or more.

"At present we have 21-23 tiger cubs in the different age groups wandering with their mothers in the forest," Kanha Tiger Reserve Director, J S Chouhan said.

Kanha has at present nearly 70 or more tigers in its wild as per the official figures, he said.

Pench Tiger Reserve Director, Alok Kumar said that in the year 2010-11, nearly 21 tiger cubs were sighted by the forest staff in different zones of the reserve.

They are in the age group of 5-6 months to over one year old, Kumar said.

A tiger is normally considered adult when it attains the age of two-and-a-half year and also when it separates from its mother. 

By:Times of India

Stop work on lands under probe: slain RTI activist Amit Jethva's father

Bhikhalal Jethava, father of the slain RTI activist Amith Jethava, has sent a legal notice to Gujarat government seeking a freeze on development activities on all lands, the allotments of which are being probed by the M B Shah Commission for alleged irregularities.

The Narendra Modi government, on August 17, appointed Justice Shah, a retired judge, to head a commission of inquiry to probe allegations of corruption; especially those levelled by the Gujarat Congress against state government in a memorandum submitted to the President earlier.

The allotments under the commission's scanner include ones to the Tata (for Nano plant), Adani Group (for Mundra Port and Mundra Special Economic Zone), Essar Group, L&T (in Hazira, Surat) and other allotments to the industrialists near major cities.

Jethava, through his lawyer Anand Yagnik, has sent a notice to the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, demanding that a notification be issued to stop development on these lands.

"It is necessary that till the Commission completes its inquiry...And makes recommendations, all the allottees be directed not to develop the land," Jethava's notice said.

"If the allottees are permitted to develop the land in question, then the inquiry will be inconsequential," it said.

Jethava's notice further stated that if the industries put up constructions on these lands, then irrespective of the outcome of commission's inquiry, it would be difficult for the government to take them back and put them to another use.

Amit Jethava, a Right To Information Act activist who carried on a campaign against illegal mining in Gir sanctuary area, was shot dead last July.

By : daily.bhaskar

Environment approvals valid only for 5 yrs: HC

The high court of Bombay at Goa has in a recent judgment held that the environmental clearances granted under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification (EIA), 1994, were valid only for a period of five years from the date of commencement of mining operations.

A division bench comprising Justice S A Bobde and Justice F M Reis passed the judgment in a public interest litigation filed by Shankar Jog, a retired environmental activist. The petitioner had challenged the operation of an iron ore mine operated by Talaulicar & Sons Pvt Ltd at Saniem, Sacorda. He had alleged that the clearances granted to the mine in 2005 under the EIA notification had expired in 2010 by virtue of condition stipulated in the notification.

While allowing the PIL, the bench has held that "in case there is no check on the environment hazard at the time of carrying out the mining activities, it can lead to degradation of the environment".

The court has also granted liberty to the company to seek renewal of the clearances within a period of three months, failing which, the court has directed it to discontinue the mining operations in the concerned mine after the said period until the environment clearance is obtained.

Mapusa-based NGO Goa Foundation, in a press note on Thursday, stated the judgment will impact 54 mines in the state. All these mines will now have to stop the operations and seek fresh environment clearances from the environment ministry, said Goa Foundation's director Claude Alvares.

 

By :Times of india