Latest news with #SocialForestryDepartment
Indian Express
06-08-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Rare albino turtle spotted in freshwater lake in Vadodara; probably seen for the first time in Gujarat, says forest officer
The Social Forestry Department of Vadodara rescued a rare Albino Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) from a freshwater lake at Chikhodra on Wednesday. The rare colour morph of a freshwater species, native to the Indian subcontinent, was handed over to the Vadodara Social Forestry Department, in what is probably the first case of rescuing this kind of a turtle in Gujarat. When the baby turtle was spotted in the lake in Chikhodra, it had excited onlookers queuing up to catch a glimpse, prompting rescuers to take it in safe custody and hand it over to the Social Forestry Department near Sayajibaug in the city. Range Forest Officer, Vadodara, Karansinh Rajput said, 'We received a call about this rare yellow turtle that climbed up on the bank from a freshwater lake at Chikhodra. Our rescue team reached the spot and brought the turtle to the centre. This is a rare species and probably seen for the first time in Gujarat. Now we will take guidance from the District Wildlife Warden for its conservation.' The albino turtle is named so due to its unique discolouration caused by a congenital genetic condition of a lacking pigment that is present in the turtles with the common dark green or brown shells.
New Indian Express
29-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
74,921 trees felled for NH66 development in Kerala; replacement slow
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the National Highways Authority of India envisioned an ambitious plan to reduce the travel time between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram from 15 hours to just seven, the cost paid was green, quite literally. As many as 74,921 trees were felled for highway development across the state. Although replantation has been promised, progress has been snail-paced. The plan was to plant ten times the number of trees that were cut. However, the actual replantation so far stands at just 55,540. Therefore, a total of 6,93,670 saplings are yet to be planted. Currently, replantation efforts are only taking place in two areas: Kadampattukonam-Kazhakoottam in Thiruvananthapuram and Thalappady - Kalikkadavu in Kasaragod. The goal is to complete the replantation in tandem with the highway project, but according to officials from the Social Forestry Department, the delay is largely due to the difficulty in identifying suitable land. 'As there are challenges in identifying land for the project, we are considering alternatives such as block planting, 'Nagaravanam' (urban forests), and 'Vidyavanam' (school forests). For the 23 stretches across nine districts, proposals for compensatory afforestation are being prepared. These will be submitted to the NHAI for fund release,' said Ajay Ghosh, an official with the state social forestry department. Of the 55,540 plants currently on the ground, 23,540 are in Kozhikode, 24,000 have been planted at Sainik School, Thiruvananthapuram, and 8,000 at the Greenfield Stadium in the same district. NHAI, which is constrained by land availability, has signed an MoU with the social forestry department to identify planting locations and submit cost estimates. 'There is no delay from our side in fund disbursement. We have already allocated funds for stretches in Kasaragod, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. For the remaining areas, we are awaiting estimates from the social forestry department,' said an NHAI official who wished to remain anonymous. As the social forestry department has proposed a shift from the original 1:10 planting scheme to the Nagaravanam and Vidyavanam models, NHAI has stated that they have got the revised plan approved.
