Speeding train knocks dead tiger cub, injures another

Vijay Pinjarkar & Mazhar Ali, TNN Apr 16, 2013
NAGPUR/CHANDRAPUR: In a big blow to tiger conservation, a 10-month-old tiger cub was knocked dead and another critically injured by a speeding train near Kelzar on Gondia-Chandrapur railway line late Sunday night. This is the sixth tiger death in the state this year but perhaps the first ever in which a train was involved.

The tragedy took place around 10.30pm on Sunday when the Gondia-Chanda Fort passenger was approaching Chandrapur at a speed of 80 kmph. The driver of the train saw the tiger family, which included a tigress and three cubs. Locals say they knew about presence of a tigress with four cubs in the area.

Officials suspect that while the tigress and one cub crossed the railway line, the remaining two, both females, were hit in an attempt to follow them.

Sources say the driver blew the whistle after which the tigress and a cub jumped across the track. However, two cubs were slow to react and were knocked by the speeding train. The incident took place in compartment number 430 under Chichpalli range. The injured cub has been shifted to Nagpur at Seminary Hills nursery at 10pm.

The incident was reported by train guard R M Lohar to Chanda Fort station master who informed forest officials at 11.15pm. RFO VW Morey with his team launched search along the tracks during the wee hours and the trackers traced the carcass. The injured tiger cub was hiding in the bushes around 50 meters from the track and was traced in the morning.

"The cub that was hit died of head injury. Another cub suffered a fracture in its right hind leg," said BSK Reddy, CCF, Chandrapur Circle.

Pradeep Kumar, senior divisional commercial manager (SrDCM) of South East Central Railway (SECR), said the Gondia-Chanda Fort line was converted into broad gauge in 1999 after getting necessary environment clearances.

The mishap underlines the lack of vision and callousness on part of the then forest officials who gave forest clearances to the project without seeking any mitigation measures. ""We were not asked for any mitigation measures then. However, if forest authorities make a request, we will consider restraining speed of passing trains in forest patches,"" Kumar told TOI.

The railway line passes through the corridor between Tadoba and Chaprala sanctuary at Kelzar. "It further passes through forests touching Nagzira sanctuary in Gondia," said Kishor Rithe, member, National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).

Reddy said he will write to the railway officials to limit speed of trains which they pass through wildlife rich forest areas.

"There have been many incidents of sloth bears, leopards, Indian gaurs, and wild boars dying due to train hits in the past," said Bandu Dhotre, honorary district wildlife warden.

The injured cub that sat in the thickets was tranquillized Tadoba divisional forest officer (DFO) G K Vashisht. It was later shifted for treatment to Nagpur late night under the supervision of Dr Chitra Raut and Dr P D Kadukar. Head of forest force (HoFF) AK Joshi, APCCF SS Mishra, Tadoba field director Virendra Tiwari and others visited the spot. They said search operations to track the tigress and other cubs will continue.

Greens express shock

Greens are dismayed over the death of tiger. Harshawardhan and Poonam Dhanwatey of Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT) said the railway track is becoming a death trap for wildlife. Suresh Chopne of Green Planet said MP Hansraj Ahir will be urged to take up the issue with the environment ministry.

"Last month, a sloth bear was killed near the same spot. In this case, was the tigers' mother missing? This could have led the cubs to cross the track by mistake," said Kishor Rithe of Satpuda Foundation. Prafulla Bhamburkar of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) wanted railway ministry to make budgetary provision for wildlife in such areas.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-16/nagpur/38585770_1_tiger-cub-injured-cub-tigress

Green panel slaps fresh conditions on Posco

Rajaram Satapathy, TNN | Apr 16, 2013
BHUBANESWAR: A high-level committee set up by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to review the mega Posco steel project in the state has spelled fresh trouble for the much-hyped project.

The committee headed by K Roy Paul was constituted as per the March 30, 2012 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had suspended the environment clearance granted to the project.

The Paul committee had submitted its report to the MoEF in October. Though the report has not yet been made public, information obtained through the RTI about its findings reveals that the project proposal may have to undergo a complete change in the coming days, including layout, study of its impact on the environment, livelihood of people, water requirement and waste disposal management.

The committee said during its visit, state authorities like the IDCO had informed that land requirement for the project had been reduced to 2,700 acres 'leaving out most of the private lands of Gobindapur and Dhinkia villages and a portion of the forest land where betel vines are grown by the villagers'. "This meant that the layout plan of the project would have to be altered substantially," the report said.

The state government has created an impression that the size of the mega steel plant had been reduced from 12 mtpa to 8 mtpa. Posco authorities, however, have denied such speculation. "Our first phase target capacity is 8 mtpa out of the total 12 mtpa capacity, hence we need reduced area," said Y W Yoon, chairman of Posco-India to a visiting media team at Pune recently.

The Paul committee, however, went by the statements made before it and said: "The project proponent should state unambiguously whether the reduced project area would be adequate to accommodate all plans of future expansion of the steel plant."

While obtaining special CRZ (coastal regulation zone) clearance for road and other infrastructures, 'environment impact should be reassessed for the revised layout plan with at least one month current baseline data for all the components of environment and submitted to the MoEF', the report suggested. The committee objected to any move to draw underground water and took note of the state water resources department's advice to Posco to seek alternate sources of water. "Water availability is a critical issue," the report observed, analyzing the inputs submitted by different government agencies.

The area being prone to cyclone, flood and sea erosion, the report also took note of concerns expressed over construction of a sea protection wall and said the issue must be 'seriously investigated' through nationally reputed agencies. "A long term study may be carried out on the impacts due to erosion of creeks, banks, deepening of the creek and widening of the river mouth (Jatadhari river mouth where Posco wants to set up its captive port)," the report said. "On assessing the documents submitted to the committee, which include the comprehensive EIA (environment impact assessment) for 4 mtpa steel plant, there is still no clarity as regards the scenario relating to future expansion of 12 mtpa capacity, especially about the availability of land, water, minerals and infrastructure," the report observed.

The committee said eight years after signing an MoU to start the project, the government and Posco have not yet carried out many basic studies on issues like actual water availability, the project's impact on fisheries, which support more than 20,000 people in the area, plan for management of oil spills, impact of dredging of material for the private port, impact on marine ecology and wildlife, etc.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Green-panel-slaps-fresh-conditions-on-Posco/articleshow/19569682.cms