Latest news with #LalitKumarVerma
Time of India
29-07-2025
- 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.
Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
No trees cut outside permitted right of way for Kanwar Marg, UP govt tells NGT
Rejecting allegations made by a Forest Survey of India (FSI) officer in a report, the Uttar Pradesh government has submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it found no evidence of tree felling outside the permitted 20-m right of way for Kanwar Marg, being built between Murad Nagar and Purkaji near Uttarakhand. The NGT's principal bench is suo motu examining the case of alleged large-scale tree felling for the 111-km-long Kanwar Marg. In February, it ordered the UP chief secretary to ascertain if the FSI joint director's allegations, submitted to the tribunal, were true. The UP government filed its affidavit on May 21. 'Based on the on-site physical inspection, old satellite Google images, and the cross-section provided by the public works department, a thorough investigation was conducted at a total of 13 points. Based on available evidence, it can be stated that no evidence of tree felling outside the proposed 20-metre right of way was found at any of the inspected locations,' the UP government's affidavit stated. A site inspection report attached with the affidavit stated that the FSI joint director, Meera Iyer, had made an error in measuring the 20-m width. 'While measuring the width on the basis of Google Earth data by the Joint Director of Forest Survey of India, it appears that the minimum 7.5 meters of land left from the toe of the irrigation department's dole has also been included in the width measurement,' the report said. A dole or dowel is built along canals for safety, usually between the service road and the edge of the canal, creating a raised barrier. Lalit Kumar Verma, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Lucknow, inspected the road construction site along the Ganga canal in April along with officials from the UP public works department and irrigation department. NGT's joint committee probe The NGT earlier constituted a joint committee to inquire into, among other things, whether trees were felled beyond the 20-m stretch, as permitted in the in-principle approval granted for Kanwar Marg. Meera Iyer, who was part of the committee, filed a separate response in February, stating that the FSI had identified several locations where tree felling had exceeded 20 m. The FSI officer also attached photographs to indicate the difference in stretches between 2022 and 2024, using satellite images, and submitted that trees were cut beyond 20 m. The proposed 111-km-long road is being built along the right branch of the Upper Ganga canal from Murad Nagar to Purkaji near Uttarakhand. The UP government is building the road on the grounds that it will not only facilitate the movement of Kanwar pilgrims but also vehicular movement. A stretch of 62 km has already been constructed and 17,607 trees have been axed for the stretch, as per the UP government's submissions. An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
