MoEF sets deadline to declare eco-sensitive zones around national parks, sanctuaries

P. OPPILI & B. ARAVIND KUMAR

Last opportunity for States to give site-specific proposals

A decade after the National Board for Wildlife envisaged declaring areas within 10 km of the boundary of national parks and sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zones, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given one last opportunity to all the States to submit site-specific proposals by February 15.

In a letter to the Chief Wildlife Wardens of all the States, Vivek Saxena, Deputy Inspector General, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has said the progress in declaring eco-sensitive zones was far from satisfactory despite the Ministry issuing guidelines in February 2011 itself.

“Only a few States have come forward with a proposal and that too for a few of the national parks and sanctuaries in their respective States. The Supreme Court is also considering the issue following a writ petition,” Mr. Saxena said in the letter, circulated to all States early in December 2012.

A letter from the MoEF Secretary has also been issued to Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories in this regard. In case, the State/Union Territory governments fail to submit the proposals within the deadline, the activities that have been prohibited as per the MoEF guidelines would stand prohibited within 10 km of the boundary of National Parks and Sanctuaries, the MoEF secretary cautioned.

As per the guidelines, commercial mining, setting up of industries causing pollution, commercial use of firewood, establishment of all hydroelectric projects, use or production of any hazardous substances, tourism activities like flying over the national park area by any aircraft or hot-air balloons and discharge of effluents and solid waste in natural water bodies or terrestrial area are prohibited.

Site-specific proposals necessary

The need for site-specific proposals has arisen as many of the existing protected areas have already undergone tremendous development in close vicinity to their boundaries with some like Guindy National Park lying in the urban set up, MoEF officials said.

Likewise, the eco-sensitive zones could extend beyond 10 km width in cases of sensitive corridors for connectivity of ecologically-important patches crucial for landscape linkage, officials emphasised.

When contacted, State Wildlife authorities said the work on demarcating the ecologically-sensitive zones around national parks and sanctuaries has already begun and is likely to be completed within a month.

In Tamil Nadu there are 10 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 14 bird sanctuaries, five national parks and a conservation reserve. These protected areas are spread over in an area of 5.46 lakh hectares across the State.

As per procedure, the Forest Department would first consider the requirement for an eco-sensitive zone to act as a shock absorber, suggest best methods for management and broad-based thematic activities to be included in the master plan of the region while demarcating the eco-sensitive zones.

Based on this, the Chief Wildlife Warden would have to group the activities under three heads — prohibitive, restricted with safeguards and permissible — that could be taken up.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/moef-sets-deadline-to-declare-ecosensitive-zones-around-national-parks-sanctuaries/article4305172.ece

3 Indian gaurs fall into well, one dies

The animals strayed into village in search of water

An Indian gaur died on Sunday and two others were battling for life after they fell into a dry well in a hamlet in Salem.

The animals strayed into the village in search of water.

The Salem Range Conservator of Forests, V. Ganesan, who supervised the rescue operation along with District Forest Officer (Attur Range) R. Rajendiran, told The Hindu that all possible steps were being taken to rescue the animals.

“The three seem to be well-grown and weighing around a tonne or so. The well is deep and rocky. We have sought the assistance of experts from Coimbatore,” he said.

A team of forest officials, with the assistance of two earthmovers and one crane, had mad a ramp to reach out to the trapped animals. Since the well was dry, water in pots was poured into it to provide some relief for the animals. “While one is dead, the other two are surviving with one suffering fracture in legs,” said a forest official.

As the well is located in a remote spot, the rescue operation was stopped after the dusk only to be resumed on Pongal Day tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the help of a veterinarian from Coimbatore Range had been sought to tranquilise them since they “are ferocious.” “We will give them tranquiliser shots and then haul them up,” Mr. Ganesan said.

According to forest officials, a total of 30 gaurs has made the near-by hill their habitat. This is the first incident in which three gaurs got trapped in a well. In 2007, a well-grown met with watery grave when it accidentally fell into irrigation well at Achankuttaipatti near Ayothiapattinam, not far off from the village Idayapatti.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/3-indian-gaurs-fall-into-well-one-dies/article4305211.ece

Elephant run over, calf injured by train near Haridwar

An elephant was killed when the Delhi bound Jan Shatabdi Express ran over it in Motichur forest near Haridwar on Saturday night. Forest officials claimed that an elephant calf was also injured in the accident.

The accident occurred when the train dashed against a herd crossing the railway track in the forest zone. Officials said some elephants may have been injured in the accident. “We are trying to locate them,” a source in the forest department said.

Train driver Surinder Kumar and assistant driver Meghram have been apprehended. According to forest officials, they would be booked under section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Additional Secretary (forest) Manoj Chadra said that it was clear weather and there was no visibility problem in the area.

The carcass of the elephant remained stuck below the engine for several hours. The passengers were brought back to Dehradun while engine remained halted at the spot. The accident affected train movements between Dehradun and Haridwar.

However, Senior DCM (Moradabad) Manoj Sharma said that as per his preliminary report the train driver was not at fault. “On this particular track, trains run with extreme caution,” he said, adding there are guidelines for the driver.

Meanwhile, strong resentment prevailed among railway employees at Dehradun following the decision of the forest department to apprehend the train’s driver and assistant driver. “The first right on the track is that of the railways. If a herd of elephant appears all of a sudden on the railway track, the driver is supposed to give first priority to the lives of passengers travelling in the train,” said a railway employee.

CM Vijay Bahuguna directed the Commissioner of Garhwal Division to probe the incident. According to a press release issued by the state government, the elephant killed was about 15 years old. The release added that as per the driver’s statement, the train was running at 45-47 km per hour and the accident occurred around 6.30 am.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/elephant-run-over-calf-injured-by-train-near-haridwar/1059037/0

Forest fire extensively destroys greenery on Gunadala Hill

Incident goes unnoticed by all government departments concerned

• “Fires are highly detrimental to the fertility of the soil on the hill slopes, wiping out several endemic species of plants and insects and affecting biodiversity” — Environmental experts
• People living along the hill slopes allege that dry bushes are set on fire by vested interests for quick clearance of the undergrowth

One of the biggest fires witnessed in the city in recent times virtually went unnoticed by all departments concerned here on Sunday. There was a huge forest fire on the Gunadala Hill along the path to the crucifix on top.

The fire which destroyed greenery extensively on the North-West slope of the hill continued till late into Sunday night after it was first noticed by people at little past noon.

When The Hindu contacted officials of various government departments, they simple passed the buck. The Fire Department officers responded saying they had not received any ‘report’ or ‘information’ from either the public or the Forest Department.

When the Forest Department was contacted, the officials said the department had no jurisdiction over the Gunadala Hill. The officials added that the hill was either in the control of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation or the Revenue Department.

Further enquiry revealed that the VMC did not own any land on the Gunadala Hill.

A large amount of the land at the base of the hillock on the North-West slope belongs to the Vijayawada Catholic Diocese and the rest is obviously revenue porambok, which is under the custody of the Revenue Department.

Anual phenomenon

People living along the slopes of the hill alleged that every once in a while the dry bushes were set on fire by vested interests for the “quick and easy” clearance of the undergrowth. This year the bushes were dry because there was no rain for a long time.

Forest fires were an annual phenomenon on the slopes of Indrakeeladri hill, which extends from the Krishna on the South right up to the Milk Factory in the North. Shepherds and cowherds who take their livestock to graze on the hill slopes are believed to be the arsonists.

They set fire to the dry grass so that there would be tender shoots for their livestock after the rainy season.

The practice, however, had to be discontinued with the mushrooming of houses on the slopes of the Indrakeeladri hill.

The encroachers left no way for the livestock to go higher up the slopes and graze. Environmental experts say such fires are highly detrimental to the fertility of the soil on the hill slopes. Several endemic species of plants and insects get wiped out affecting biodiversity.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/forest-fire-extensively-destroys-greenery-on-gunadala-hill/article4306466.ece

PMO wants tribal's consent in giving forests for projects diluted

Nitin Sethi, TNN

NEW DELHI: The PMO has asked the environment and tribal affairs ministry to severely dilute the need for consent from tribals under the Forest Rights Act for diverting forests to projects.

The decision effectively rolls back UPA's flagship programme for tribals "the Forest Rights Act" and also runs contrary to the position taken by the government before the Supreme Court recently in the high profile Vedanta case. In the case, the government had said tribal forests cannot be diverted for projects at all.

At the moment, forest areas cannot be handed over to industry without the rights of tribals being settled in the impacted area and an explicit consent being secured from the affected gram sabha (village councils) after that.

Though this requirement has not been followed strictly, the industry as well as infrastructure ministries have been up in arms against it, repeatedly asking for doing away with the regulations.

Now, the PMO has asked the environment ministry, which gives forest clearances, and the tribal affairs ministry, the nodal point for the FRA, to dilute the regulations.

It has said that in cases where public consultations have occurred for other clearances, the consent of tribals should be done away with. This would make the affected tribals' consent irrelevant in most cases because public hearings are mandatory for almost all projects that undergo environment clearances. But the government does not review tribal rights under the FRA during assessing cases for environment clearances.

In the case of linear projects, the PMO has said just a certificate from the state government stating that processes under FRA have been completed would be adequate. This runs contrary to the position the UPA had taken in the Vedanta mining case in Odisha, a case that it is now being contested in the Supreme Court.

The PMO has said that in cases where there is significant impact on lives and livelihoods "the phrase left undefined" the gram sabha should be required to recommend the project. This again would remain contingent on whether public hearings have been held for environmental clearance or not.

In any other case, the PMO has asked the ministries to do away with the need for consent of the impacted tribals.

The PMO had given a December 31 deadline to the ministries to enact the changes. The ministries are yet to respond to the call.

Sources said the Forest Rights Act was UPA's flagship scheme in its first tenure with Congress scion Rahul Gandhi even riding on it to create a pro-tribal image when Vedanta's bauxite mining project was cancelled.

In the Vedanta case particularly, the environment ministry had noted violations of FRA and rights of tribals besides other violations to stop the project. It had refused to accept mere assurances from the Odisha government that FRA had been followed in the impacted area. But the PMO has now asked that the central government do a turnaround and ask the state governments to provide assurances in some cases but to do away with even that in many.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-11/india/36278625_1_tribal-affairs-ministry-environment-clearances-environmental-clearance

Realty near reserve forests to come under scanner

The Forest Department, which is struggling to mitigate the increasing human–animal conflict situation, is now worried over the proposal for future constructions closer to the reserve forest boundary.

Coimbatore Forest Division with an area of 690 sq km is found to be having conflicts in 400 sq km spread over 58 border villages and 315 km of forest boundary. Division comprises of Booluvampatti, Coimbatore, Periyanaickenpalayam, Mettuppalayam, Karamadai and Sirumugai. Of this Booluvampatti, Coimbatore, Periyanaickenpalayam and Mettuppalayam are proving to be high conflict prone.

The Forest Department has now embarked on an exercise of issuing notice to builders who intend to have compound walls for their gated communities constructed near reserve forest boundary. One such example was a proposed construction with a compound wall at the foothills of Marudhamalai, which was already witnessing frequent conflict situations. The Department has slapped a notice asking the promoter not to plan for a compound wall as it would only infuriate the elephants and cause further loss and damage.

The Department is also writing letters to all the local bodies and officials of the Tangedco requesting them not to issue building plan approvals, water supply and power supply connections for constructions that are planned very closer to the reserve boundary with not even an elbow space of buffer zone.

Scrutiny

In cases where permissions had been granted, the promoters are being asked to bring their approved plans for a scrutiny to evolve measures to ease or eliminate an impending conflict situation. The promoters are being asked to stop further construction activities.

As such as there are more number of buildings along the migratory corridor and closer to the reserve forest boundary disturbing the pachyderm population and if the upcoming buildings were also to be permitted, the rate of human – animal conflict will go manifold, the forest officials said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/realty-near-reserve-forests-to-come-under-scanner/article4303656.ece