Centre clears relocation of big cats; cooler weather awaited
1
2
3
Jaipur: With all paperwork finalised and formal permission granted under Section 12 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, on March 25, the state forest department is now awaiting the end of summer to begin the long-awaited interstate
translocation of tigers
to
Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve
(RVTR) and
Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve
(MHTR).According to the order issued by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC), a copy of which is with TOI, the approval clears the way for relocating three female tigers from Madhya Pradesh.
Two of them will be sent to RVTR and one to MHTR. This clearance follows a proposal submitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh seeking permission to capture and translocate ten tigers—two males and eight females—from tiger reserves of Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh to Rajasthan, Odisha and Chhattisgarh."Since translocation exercises are typically avoided during periods of extreme heat to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the animals, we are preparing to initiate the process as soon as weather conditions become favourable. Until then, necessary arrangements at these reserves are being made," said a senior forest department official.For Rajasthan, the nod from MoEFCC marks a significant step forward. While RVTR is a newly designated tiger reserve awaiting its first big cats from another landscape to improve genetic diversity, MHTR has faced setbacks in previous reintroduction efforts. Both forest department officials and conservationists hope this initiative will mark a turning point in the revival of these reserves.Environmentalists, however, alleged that despite the permission being granted, some senior officials are creating obstacles due to internal conflicts over credit. Tapeshwar Singh Bhati, a green activist, said, "Permission was received on March 25, but not much was done on the ground. Moreover, a senior official wrote that the prey base in MHTR is insufficient, which appears to be a deliberate attempt to delay the process."The Chief Wildlife Warden has been instructed to submit regular quarterly reports to the ministry. Reports from earlier studies that previously received the ministry's approval must also be submitted before seeking further translocation permissions."The ministry has also made it clear that in the event of any mishap that endangers the safety of the tigers, the permission granted may be reviewed or revoked. This is why the department is proceeding very carefully to ensure the project's success," said an official of the forest department.Jaipur: With all paperwork finalised and formal permission granted under Section 12 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, on March 25, the state forest department is now awaiting the end of summer to begin the long-awaited interstate translocation of tigers to Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR).According to the order issued by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC), a copy of which is with TOI, the approval clears the way for relocating three female tigers from Madhya Pradesh. Two of them will be sent to RVTR and one to MHTR. This clearance follows a proposal submitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh seeking permission to capture and translocate ten tigers—two males and eight females—from tiger reserves of Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh to Rajasthan, Odisha and Chhattisgarh."Since translocation exercises are typically avoided during periods of extreme heat to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the animals, we are preparing to initiate the process as soon as weather conditions become favourable. Until then, necessary arrangements at these reserves are being made," said a senior forest department official.For Rajasthan, the nod from MoEFCC marks a significant step forward. While RVTR is a newly designated tiger reserve awaiting its first big cats from another landscape to improve genetic diversity, MHTR has faced setbacks in previous reintroduction efforts. Both forest department officials and conservationists hope this initiative will mark a turning point in the revival of these reserves.Environmentalists, however, alleged that despite the permission being granted, some senior officials are creating obstacles due to internal conflicts over credit. Tapeshwar Singh Bhati, a green activist, said, "Permission was received on March 25, but not much was done on the ground. Moreover, a senior official wrote that the prey base in MHTR is insufficient, which appears to be a deliberate attempt to delay the process."The Chief Wildlife Warden has been instructed to submit regular quarterly reports to the ministry. Reports from earlier studies that previously received the ministry's approval must also be submitted before seeking further translocation permissions."The ministry has also made it clear that in the event of any mishap that endangers the safety of the tigers, the permission granted may be reviewed or revoked. This is why the department is proceeding very carefully to ensure the project's success," said an official of the forest department.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Telangana committed to environmental restoration: Forests minister Surekha
HYDERABAD: Stating that the responsibility to protect nature lies with everyone, Environment & Forests Minister Konda Surekha on Thursday emphasised that both government and public should work in unison to tackle the growing plastic crisis. Speaking at an event organised by Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) to celebrate World Environment Day under theme 'Ending Plastic Pollution-Globally' at TGPCB's Sanathnagar office, the minister underscored the importance of eliminating single-use plastics (SUPs) and advocated the promotion of sustainable alternatives such as jute bags, paper products, cotton bags, stainless steel, and bamboo. She also encouraged the use of public transport, solar energy and effective solid waste management as key sustainable practices. 'Plastic pollution is not just a local issue. It's an international threat to biodiversity, public health, food security and our future. Plastic does not degrade easily and it pollutes our land, rivers, and oceans for hundreds of years, threatening all life forms,' she added.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Land exemption given for tree felling at Delhi's Central Vista
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi VK Saxena has granted a special exemption to a 5.037-hectare government construction site from area restrictions under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994. The move clears a procedural hurdle for the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to seek permission to transplant or fell 476 trees for two buildings that are part of the Common Central Secretariat (the sixth and seventh ones) at Maulana Azad Road , part of the Central Vista redevelopment project. The exemption was approved in an official gazette notification dated May 30 and published on Thursday. The exemption was granted under Section 29 of the DPTA by Saxena, allowing the Tree Officer (West Forest Division) to consider a pending application concerning the transplantation or felling of 476 trees within the project site. The application was submitted through the DPTA e-Forest portal by Kushagra Singh, Executive Engineer at the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The usual limit for considering applications under Section 9(3) of the Act is one hectare. Since the project spans over five hectares, the Tree Officer requested an exemption to process the application legally. Section 29 of the DPTA, 1994 gives the power to the Government to effect such exemptions. 'The Tree Officer shall give his decision within sixty days from the date of receipt of the application: provided that no permission shall be granted to any person from the same area on more than two occasions during the same year subject to a maximum area of one hectare at a time,' the act states. To be sure, the notification clarifies that the exemption does not grant permission to cut or transplant any trees. It merely allows the Tree Officer to consider transplantation and felling on a larger plot. 'This notification for exemption under Section 29… shall not be considered as permission for transplantation/felling of trees under the DPTA, 1994,' the act adds. The next step will be an independent assessment of the application by the Tree Officer. This will include scrutiny under the DPTA, the Delhi Preservation of Trees Rules, 1996, relevant guidelines, and court orders. The Tree Officer must apply due diligence and aim to minimize the number of trees affected by the project. This construction site forms part of the broader Central Vista redevelopment initiative, aimed at reorganizing and modernizing central administrative infrastructure. Work is progressing on Common Central Secretariat (CCS) Buildings 6 and 7, following approval by the Heritage Conservation Committee in January and the issuance of construction bids in November 2024. These buildings, rising on the sites of the old Vice-President's House and Vigyan Bhawan Annexe respectively along Maulana Azad Road, will form the core of the new Defence Enclave. This enclave will consolidate offices for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the armed services, including the Department of Defence Production and the headquarters of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. A retired IFS and former official in Delhi's forest and wildlife department said the decision does not mean trees will be felled, but simply uses the exemption clause for a tree officer in Delhi to pick up the project case. 'The tree officer will still have to approve or reject the plan and decide eventually how many trees are felled or transplanted. Since the area was more than one hectare, the tree officer would not have been able to pick up the case. At the same time, it is likely this was not forest land. In order for the tree act to apply, one needs to use such an exemption to allow the tree officer to consider greater area — more than one hectare,' said the retired official, on condition of anonymity. The official added such exemptions have been used in the past as well, to allow projects over one hectare in area to be processed, including several road and highway projects in Delhi. 'This is the standard procedure to allow DPTA to apply to projects in non-forest land.' The LG had a day earlier granted a similar approval for the exemption of a 2.16 hectares patch for a flyover project at the Nand Nagri to Gagan Cinema junction in north-east Delhi. The project involves transplantation of 27 trees. Officials in Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) did not respond to HT's queries.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Chandigarh pollution control committee issues notices to government bodies to curb air pollution
1 2 Chandigarh: In a first, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC), to mitigate air pollution in the city, issued notices to different govt bodies, including the UT engineering department, municipal corporation, Panjab University, and Indian Railways, delineating steps to be taken to curb air pollution. CPCC gave 15 days to the different govt agencies to respond to the notices. Saurabh Kumar, member secretary, CPCC, said, "Chandigarh comes under non-attainment cities because of not meeting prescribed ambient air quality standards, especially in the winter season, and the level of pollutants of particulate matter concentration (PM2.5 & PM10) goes beyond the prescribed standards for ambient air quality. Dust pollution is one of the major sources of air pollution, contributing high levels of PM concentration, i.e. , PM10 & PM2.5." Notices were issued as the whole of the Union Territory of Chandigarh was declared an Air Pollution Control area under the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Under Section 17(1) of the Air Act, 1981, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee is to plan a comprehensive programme for the prevention, control, and abatement of air pollution and to secure execution thereof. The Committee is of the view that to tackle the problems of road dust resulting from road construction, re-modeling, repair, unpaved roads, and the open land from where soil is easily blown into the air because of traffic or winds, such activities are required to be monitored and regulated. The govt bodies like the municipal corporation and UT engineering department have been asked to take proactive steps in this direction as the owning/maintaining and road construction agencies have to play a greater role in the effective monitoring and implementation of dust control measures. Meanwhile, the Railways were issued notices as the loading and unloading area under its control in the Daria area of Chandigarh is causing a lot of air pollution in contravention of the provisions of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Kumar said, "To curb air pollution, particularly during the winters, collective institutional effort is required." **BOX1: SOME OF THE MEASURES OUTLINED** **UT Engineering Department** - Shall cover the central verge with eco-friendly honeycomb paver blocks or with other aggregates. - Shall explore the possibility of washing roads at night time with tertiary treated wastewater. - Shall also explore the possibility of laying pipelines for the transportation of tertiary water on each main road and sub-road so that a mechanism can be worked out for spraying water at fixed intervals. - Shall use the by-products generated out of the Construction and Demolition Waste Processing Plant as rejects to use on the exposed soil wherever required. - Dust mitigation plan shall be incorporated in all construction projects. - Thick vegetation cover or pebbles, whichever is feasible, on vacant exposed ground. **Addition to Above for Municipal Corporation** - The municipal corporation shall purchase an adequate number of vehicles (preferably e-Vehicles) to cover the entire city to sprinkle water during the morning hours on the roads before manual sweeping. - Shall work out the mechanism for proper collection of fallen leaves and their disposal as it further leads to air pollution. **Railways** - To make arrangements to sweep the entire jurisdiction of the railway, including the loading and unloading area, and shall identify potential dust hotspots and make arrangements for spraying water in all such areas to suppress the dust. - To provide provisions for the washing of wheels of the vehicles entering and exiting from the loading/unloading/weighing area. - To take measures to ensure that there should be no exposed ground in railway premises and cover the exposed soil either with thick vegetation or pebbles, whichever is feasible. - To cover all the loading and unloading areas, including the roads and weighing bridge area, with eco-friendly honeycomb paver blocks or any other suitable material to restrict dust suspension. **BOX2: WINTER AIR POLLUTION** In the past few years, the Chandigarh winters witnessed severe air pollution. At one point in November last year, it was reported to have the worst air quality in the country. On several occasions in the last couple of years, it was among the top three worst air-polluted cities in the country. On average, though, spanning the year-long period, the air quality hovers around moderate air quality. MSID:: 121653902 413 |
