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Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Now, ‘Gaj Mitra' to guard villagers against jumbos
Lucknow: After introduction of 'baagh mitras' (friends of tiger), a force of volunteers from Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh may soon form a force of 'gaj mitra' (friends of elephant) volunteers in Bijnor, where elephants frequently cross over from Corbett National Park. They will handle and mitigate conflict between humans and elephants, just as 'baagh mitras' do in Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Amangarh tiger reserves. Project Tiger UP APCCF Lalit Kumar Verma, said, "After baagh mitras proved to be of great help in tiger reserves we trained gaj mitras in areas with high elephant movement." Bagh mitra was launched in 2020 as the reserve experienced high incidence of human-animal conflict. It is now a force of 300 men and women. Need for Gaj mitras was felt in Bijnor because of human-elephant conflicts. "With 300 villages on the fringes of the three tiger reserves, we required at least one person in every village as baagh mitra. We will make similar assessment for gaj mitra," said the official. Gaj mitra volunteers will not be paid by forest department so as not to dilute the purpose, but they will be provided training and resources. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like EV chargers from £899 ScottishPower Learn More Undo Their primary role will be to report any movement of elephants in the area, acting as "first informers". Bagh mitras ascertain pugmarks to identify the animal—tiger, leopard, hyena, wolf, or any other. Gaj mitra may not have to identify pugmarks and will only study which direction the herd is moving in. They will act as a bridge between villagers and forest department during rescue operations, to avoid any conflict between humans and animals. Age is no barrier to working as any 'mitra' of wildlife, the person only needs to be alert and agile. Since these volunteers will have first-point contact with villagers, their role becomes important.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Bhopal's ‘urban tigers' & humans live and let live
A camera-trap image of a tiger on the southern fringes of Bhopal in July 2021, during a study conducted in collaboration with the MP forest department When night falls over Bhopal, the city belongs to the tigers. Unseen, yet ever-present, they prowl through the green corridors that cut across an urban sprawl of 2.4 million residents, leaving only paw prints and camera-trap images as proof. To protect this rare harmony, the MP forest department is rolling out AI-based camera traps and installing an extra e-eye tower to generate real-time alerts, blending technology with conservation. Twenty-two tigers share the southern and eastern landscapes in and around the municipal limits, yet most people have never seen one. There have been no attacks, no conflicts. Officials say the big cats have become masters of camouflage, perfectly adapting to survive in an urban world. Locals have internalised this coexistence. 'When I was looking for a house on the southern side of Bhopal, a resident casually warned me, 'Tiger kabhi bhi aa jata hai yahan' ,' a senior officer recalled. 'That simple remark captures the unique reality of this city — people here have learned to live with tigers as silent neighbours.' 'We are introducing AI-based camera traps to monitor tiger movement and installing an additional e-eye tower to generate instant alerts for our monitoring teams,' said L Krishnamurteey, APCCF (wildlife). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ribeirao Das Neves: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Undo What 'Operation Durga' found Though tigers had roamed the area for years, the city's extraordinary relationship with big cats first came to light in 2012, when a camera trap captured an image of a tiger moving along Bhopal's southern fringes. Alarmed, forest officials launched 'Operation Durga,' a large-scale effort to tranquilise and relocate what they believed was a lone predator near human settlements. At the time, Krishnamurteey was posted as divisional forest officer in Bhopal and personally led the high-stakes operation. For 20 days, teams of guards, trackers, and elephants scoured the KerwaKaliasot forests. Instead of finding one tiger, they discovered several quietly thriving in the city's fragmented green patches. These tigers were not aggressive: they were elusive, intelligent, and experts at staying out of sight. Moved by their behaviour, forest guards and rangers requested their seniors to abandon the capture plan, assuring they could manage the animals without disturbance. The operation was called off — and a silent, unspoken pact of coexistence was born. Today, more than a dozen tigers inhabit the forested corridors around Bhopal's southern boundary. Studies reveal they have adapted their movement patterns to avoid humans, mostly becoming active between 11pm and 6am. 'Operation Durga changed our understanding of urban wildlife,' Krishnamurteey told TOI . 'We realised these tigers were not intruders; they were residents who had learned to live alongside humans without conflict. That discovery reshaped our approach to conservation.' Delicate balance under threat Though Bhopal's tigers have coexisted peacefully with humans for over a decade, their rising numbers have caused tension in the bureaucracy. One faction pushes for urbanisation, while another stresses conservation. Under pressure from some senior bureaucrats, the Madhya Pradesh wildlife headquarters, at one point, even questioned the presence of 22 tigers in and around the city. Field officers countered with a detailed dossier — complete with geo-tagged evidence, photographs, and behavioural data, establishing their existence. The report confirmed that six tigers had established territories within city limits, while others, including nine cubs, roam a 5km buffer. Officers argue these big cats have successfully adapted to the urban environment, making Bhopal a rare example of coexistence. However, they warn that unchecked development could upset this balance. What do urban tigers eat? Bhopal DFO Lokpriya Bharti said though there have been no incidents of human-tiger conflict in the city for many years, cattle kills are reported occasionally. 'We receive three-four cases a month, and provide compensation following norms,' he added. Conservationists also caution that harmony may not last unless wild corridors are protected. The tiger-friendly patches of Kerwa and Kaliasot face growing urban pressure. The challenge is not with people, but with land development, nightlife, and new construction threatening critical habitats. The report even highlights tiger cubs playing near restaurants — a sign of their adaptation, but also how close humans and tigers now live. Expanding the Buffer Zone Managing urban tigers also means navigating multiple stakeholders — businessmen, politicians and bureaucrats who own properties in the area. 'As far as I know, the areas occupied by Bhopal's urban tigers fall outside the notified buffer. It would be wise to include Mendora, Mendori, and Kaliasot in the Ratapani Tiger Reserve buffer and exclude them from incompatible development projects like roads, factories, mining, and urban expansion,' said Suhas Kumar, former principal chief conservator of forests, who spent 23 of his 35 years in service managing protected areas. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has called for the creation of a conservation reserve under the Wildlife Act to safeguard Bhopal's urban tigers. His petition, filed after a tiger was trapped near the Agriculture Institute on Berasia Road, had been pending in court since 2015.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Monthly ‘green chaupals' in villages to boost plantation at grassroots
Lucknow: The state govt has fixed the third Friday of every month for holding of green chaupals in every gram panchayat of the state. The govt order specifies that in case of a state holiday on the specified day, chaupal should be held on the next working day. Among many objectives of these chaupals is to sensitise people on environment conservation and develop every village as a green village, plant trees, harvest rainwater, carry out organic farming, use solar power, and adopt an environmentally sustainable way of life. It is for the first time that the govt will constitute green chaupals, first at gram panchayat level and then in urban local bodies. With the GO already issued and communicated to districts, their constitution will now start. "We may integrate it with carbon credits in future, and give green fund to villages with plantations on their gram sabha land, by assessing and evaluating carbon credits generated by them. The fund can be used for environment cause," said APCCF (project), UP Forest, Ramkumar. "If people face problems in getting access to environment-related schemes implemented by govt departments, these chaupals will ensure that problems are brought to the notice of officers concerned," he said. Publicity material on schemes related to environment conservation implemented by different govt departments will be distributed in chaupals. A green chaupal, headed by gram Pradhan, will have 12 members. Section or beat officer of the forest department will be the member secretary, while the gram panchayat secretary will be the coordinator. Three gram panchayat members, a woman from an SHG, principal of a primary school, anganwadi helper, rozgar sewak, progressive farmer, representatives of NGOs working in environment sector, representative of biodiversity management committee, and local level officers from govt departments will be the other members. Divisional forest officers will coordinate with other departments for smooth functioning of chaupals. The performance of chaupals will be reviewed every month by CDOs and district plantation committees.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Triveni Van: Forest of Peepal, Pakar andNeem to come up at Kukrail picnic spot
Lucknow: 'Triveni Van', the forest consisting of three sacred trees, Peepal, Pakar, and Neem, was planted in Kukrail picnic spot on Tuesday as part of week-long Van Mahotsav campaign by the state govt. Minister of state for environment, forest and climate change (independent charge) Arun Kumar Saxena inaugurated the campaign under which the plan is to plant over 35 crore saplings across the state. T he minister also inaugurated a yoga point and an open gym at the place. It will become a major attraction for visitors coming to the picnic spot, he said. School children were given drumstick saplings in the programme. Awadh forest division, as a part of the tree plantation campaign 2025, gifted a teak sapling symbolising prosperity and development to parents of newborns at Veerangana Avanti Bai Women's Hospital in Lucknow. Renu Singh, APCCF, Lucknow, and Sitanshu Pandey, DFO, Lucknow, distributed green gold birth certificates, flower bouquets, and teak saplings to the families of newborns. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Time of India
Tiger deaths: MM Hills officials, panel conduct spot inspection
Mysuru: As part of the probe into the deaths of five tigers at MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary on June 26, the committee formed by the government, sanctuary authorities and Kollegal police on Tuesday conducted a spot inspection along with three accused and recreated the scene of crime. The committee formed by the government is headed by APCCF Kumar Pushkar. The team must submit a report to the govt within two weeks. Meanwhile, G Santhosh Kumar, who was given additional charge as DCF of MM Hills, took charge on Tuesday. The DCF visited the spot as part of the probe. Konappa, Maduraja and Nagaraj were arrested on charges of killing the tigers — four cubs (three female and one male) and the mother tigress — by poisoning. The accused told the investigating team that to avenge the killing of their cow by the big cat, they sprayed poison over the carcass, knowing that the tiger would return to the kill to eat the leftovers. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
