Wildlife Memoirs: Traffic or Tigers? Versus in Deccan Chronicle

Let forest officials escort vehicles at night

I.C.Balakrishnan, MLA, Sulthan Bathery, Kerala

It has been four years since night traffic was banned in Bandipur. Initially, Karnataka agreed to lift the bank during the talks with Kerala government, but then some environmentalists went to court and had the ban enforced again. But it is affecting tourism as people have trouble planning their schedules to avoid going through Bandipur at night. Many, who want to start their journey to Bandipur Friday night and return Monday morning, cannot do so on account of the ban. Students and businessmen from areas on the Karnataka-Kerala border, who study or do business in Bengaluru are also inconvenienced as they need to plan their trips a day in advance now. 

The alternate route suggested through Gundalpet, Hunsur, Kutta and Mananthavadi, is a lot longer and unpleasant as the roads are not in good condition. The government should instead increase the number of forest officials and use them to escort convoys of vehicles through the forest at night.

There have been no proper studies to support the ban on night traffic through Bandipur. In fact, when it was allowed, there were only a few cases of animal road-kills. The issue needs to be studied in depth by a combined team of Kerala and Karnataka.

Wild animals do not understand convoy system

Sanjay Gubbi

The welcome benefits of economic development have come with serious costs to wildlife through loss and fragmentation of habitats, especially for rare and endangered animals. The backbone of country’s infrastructure growth has necessitated the expansion of road network. Coupled with high speed vehicles, roads have turned out to be an important linear fragmentation threat to wildlife. Mortality due to speeding vehicles and acting as barriers for animal movement are the two important impacts of highways.

The closure of highways for night traffic through Bandipur Tiger Reserve is one vital step to minimise the impacts of highways on tigers and other species. An alternate road that is 35 km longer acts as a mode of transport for night travel and the state has recently taken up repairs of this road. This rare 48 crore investment for infrastructure to save tigers, is a unique highly laudable gesture.

The state of Kerala has proposed alternatives such as allowing vehicles in convoy system under close supervision, building flyover and barriers along the highways. Wild animals clearly do not understand convoy system and their movements are based on their biological and ecological needs. Any supervision cannot dictate the movement patterns of wild animals. The other civil engineering solutions are neither economically or ecologically viable.  A flyover through Bandipur would cost a horrendous 4,000 crore not to forget the enormous disturbance during the construction phase, and barriers such as walls will wholly stop the movement of wildlife.

As the country moves forward with its ambition of 8% economic growth, more land is taken for the rapid expansion of its infrastructure. Places like Bandipur are one of the last strongholds for tigers and we need to support alternatives rather than continue to pursue ecologically destructive options that are largely driven by deceitful economic interests.

Source: Wildlife Memoirs: Traffic or Tigers? Versus in Deccan Chronicle

HC tells Himachal govt to ban cookies, chips in polythene packs

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to ban sale of ‘junk food’ in non bio-degradable packs from April 1 but exempted essential items like edible oil and milk from the ban.

A Division Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjay Karool directed that the list of non-essential items (junk food), identified by committee set up by the High Court, are not to be sold in non-biodegradable packing. The items included chips, wafers, biscuits, namkeen, candy, chewing gum, ice cream, chocolates, noodles, sugary cereals, among other items.

“We are not in any manner issuing directions that such items are banned because that is not within the purview of the court but if we follow the law enacted by the state (Himachal) Pradesh Non-Biodegradable (Control) Act, 1995, the least we can do is to direct that these harmful items, which are classified as junk foods, if sold in the state in packing condition should be sold only in bio-degradable packing,” the judges said.

The Bench proposed use of options such as tetra packs, tin packing or biodegradable plastic of 20 micro metre thickness is proposed.

The Bench, however, said the list of food items identified for the ban is not final.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/HC-tells-Himachal-govt-to-ban-cookies--chips-in-polythene-packs/1059361/

NGT asks Centre to fix noise norms for public vehicles

Vehicles with multi-tone horns and sirens are found to be violating noise pollution rules
Premal Balan / Ahmedabad

The National Green Tribunal ( NGT) has directed the Union government to notify standards for sirens and multi-tone horns used by vehicles including those of Government, police or ambulance  within three months.

The directions were issued by principal bench of Justice A S Naidu and G K Pandey who felt an urgent need to have source specific noise standards, as there were no standards specified by the Union government with regard to use of horns and sirens in ambulances, government and police vehicles.
 
The bench was hearing an application filed by a senior citizen Dileep B Nevatia residing on the Worli Sea Face road in Mumbai. Nevatia had alleged there was gross violation of the Noise Pollution (Regulation & Control) Rules 2000 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 by vehicles using multi-tone horns and sirens.

He had claimed that the vehicles fitted with multi-tone horns were emitting sounds in far excess of the levels prescribed and were causing noise pollution.

The applicant had demanded specifying standards for sirens and multi-tone horns wanted ban on vehicles that violate those stipulated standards.

"The controversy before us is pertaining to vehicular noise caused by unrestricted use of sirens and multi-tone horns having un-specified standards, being fitted in the ambulances, Government and police vehicles," the bench observed in its order of last week.

"Needless to say that there is urgent requirement to evolve source specific (noise) standards for sirens and multi-tone vehicles, constant use of sirens and multi-tone horns much above noise standard, causes immense hardship to common people and also poses serious affects on human health," it further observed.

So far no source specific standards have been evolved or specified for sirens and multi-tone horns by the Union Government.

"In order to control ambient noise pollution, it is essential to control emanating noise at the source itself for which source specific standards are required to be formulated. Source specific standards have already been evolved by the MoEF and CPCB for the D.G. Sets, Industries, etc. However, so far no source specific standards have been evolved or specified for sirens and multi-tone horns by the Union Government," the bench observed.

Hence it issued direction for Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, "to notify the standards for sirens and multi-tone horns used by different vehicles either under Government duty or otherwise within a period of 3 months."

Based on which, the Maharashtra government will have to issue specific notifications. The NGT also directed Maharashtra police to ensure that no private vehicle be allowed to use sirens or multi-tone horns in residential and silent zones and in the vicinity of educational institutions, hospitals and other sensitive areas and also during night except emergencies and under exceptional circumstances.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ngt-asks-centre-to-fix-noise-norms-for-public-vehicles/202774/on

Panel backs NHAI: ‘MoEF can’t insist on Forest Act’

Things may have come to a boil between the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Environment and Forests over green clearances to road projects last week with the former going to court in protest, but they have been simmering for long enough. The NHAI has for long been demanding exemption from the Forest Rights Act for its road projects and now derives strength from the recent recommendations made by a Committee of Secretaries on the issue.

Chaired by the Law Secretary, this committee — specifically examining the NHAI’s demand vis-a-vis the ministry’s contentions — gave an opinion in favour of the NHAI. The committee has opined that the FRA may not be insisted upon as far as road projects are concerned. Sources said the MoEF wrote to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for its views on the committee’s opinion. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in turn, passed the buck to the MoEF arguing that since the guidelines to FRA were issues by the latter, any changes will have to be effected by the same ministry.

The FRA to which the MoEF issued guidelines in 2009 require public hearings and consent of related gram sabhas before forest clearance for a project can be given. The process, a time consuming one, is said to delay projects. Under pressure over delays, the MoEF is of a view that forest clearance should not be delinked from environmental clearance.

The MoEF argues that it has already been sympathetic to the NHAI’s demands by relaxing its guidelines for linear projects, facilitating phased processing of these proposals, provided feasible alternate alignments are submitted for stretches in forest areas.

The Forest Ministry contends that its notifications, dated March 2012 and September 2011, on re-diversion of forest land for non forest purposes facilitated linear projects.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has been at loggerheads with the MoEF over alleged delays in granting of clearance and blames it for slow progress in projects worth over Rs 2,000 crore. They had even sought the PMO’s intervention to expedite linear projects like roads, railway tracks and transmission lines awaiting green clearances.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Panel-backs-NHAI---MoEF-can-t-insist-on-Forest-Act-/1059309/0

62 held for fishing near turtle nesting site

Bhubaneswar, Jan 13 (IANS)
At least 62 fishermen were arrested for fishing near a turtle nesting site in Odisha's Kendrapada district, an official said Sunday.

The forest and wildlife department nabbed the men Saturday near the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, 170 km from here, Divisional Forest Officer Manoj Mohapatra told IANS.

Three mechanized trawlers and 16 fishing boats were also seized.

With the latest arrests, the number of fishermen held since November for fishing near Gahirmatha has risen to 200, Mohapatra said.

Gahirmatha is one of the world's largest turtle nesting sites and where 700,000-800,000 endangered Olive Ridley turtles congregate in the sea waters between October and November and nest between December and March.

Thousands of turtles get killed every year mostly by mechanized trawlers and fishing boats.

The government has imposed a seven-month fishing ban along 120 km of the state's 480 km coastline -- valid from Nov 1 to May 31.

Carcasses of about 200 Olive ridley turtles have been sighted along the Gahirmatha coast this season, Mohapatra added.

Source: http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2013/01/13/107--62-held-for-fishing-near-turtle-nesting-site-.html