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NGT NOTICE TO
KEN-BETWA PROJECT
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice
to the Centre and two state governments on clearances
granted to the Rs 1,800-crore Ken-Betwa river linking
project, which if completed will impact forests and
wildlife in the region. The Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Water Resources Ministry and the
governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh,
where the project is located, are expected to reply
within two weeks. Lack of environmental and human
impact assessment was cited as the reason to stay the
project in environmentalist Himanshu Thakkar's plea,
which the NGT heard. While the project is expected
to provide drinking water to drought-prone regions in
both states, 58.03 sq. km. of prime habitat in Madhya
Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve will be lost in the fi rst
phase of the project. Warned by environmentalists to
be ecologically disastrous, the project has been mired in
controversy since it was mooted, and is now subject to
a fi nal order from the tribunal.
TIGER CENSUS TO BE
MORE ACCURATE
In a bid to ensure greater accuracy, the National
Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will conduct the
fi nal phase of the All India Tiger Estimation in two
sq. km. grids, instead of the earlier four sq. km. grids.
NTCA offi cials told the Times of India that, "The
new system will also accurately show the presence
of even small carnivores. The gap between installing
camera traps has been reduced to 25 days from
the earlier 45 too." The Authority will require more
camera traps to employ in the smaller grids, but it
would not matter much as the period of withdrawing
the cameras has been reduced, the offi cials added.
Goa, Nagaland and Mizoram join the 18 states in
which the estimation will be carried out, beginning
in January 2018. This is the fourth tiger estimation
exercise to be conducted by the NTCA after the
pugmark estimation method was withdrawn in 2005.
The fi rst estimation conducted in 2006 showed the
presence of 1,411 tigers followed by 1,706 tigers in
2010 and 2,226 tigers in 2014.
CITIZENS SUPPORT
GROUP FORMED FOR
MARINE LIFE
Independent researchers, marine life
enthusiasts, offi cials of the Forest
Department's Mangrove Cell, and
volunteers of various NGOs have
come together to extend their reach
from turtles to all forms of marine life
that are increasingly being stranded
along Maharashtra's coastline. The
group, called the Marine Respondents'
team, aims to increase its network
to interested citizens and fi shermen
so that they can reach the spot
immediately when a stranding occurs.
Ketaki Jog, a 30-year-old ecologist
who studies marine ecosystems and
is part of the group said, “We know
that sperm whales exist around our
coastline because of a stranding that
happened at Revdanda, Alibaug, in- Collecting and studying tissue
samples of these animals will help in
understanding why these strandings
are occurring.” Abhishek Jamalabad,
a researcher and a member of the
group, said, "I work in Karwar in
southern Karnataka, where there is a
similar network with people informing
scientists of strandings. Then we
reach the spot along with the Forest
Department and other authorities to
collect samples," and added that the
Mumbai group is larger than most
others in existence so far.
ARUNACHAL’S DEMWE
PROJECT LOSES
GREEN NOD
Forest clearance granted to the
1,750 MW Demwe hydel project in
Arunachal Pradesh was suspendedindia
SCAN
BHAVNA SHARMA/ENTRY–SANCTUARY WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHYAWARDS2017The fourth tiger estimation exercise will be conducted by the National Tiger Conservation
Authority in two sq. km. grids, instead of the four sq. km. grids. to ensure greater accuracy.by the National Green Tribunal
after two environmental activists
from Assam challenged it. Bimal
Gogoi and Rohit Choudhury
said the clearance was granted
on wrong and inadequate
information of wildlife habitats,
biodiversity-rich areas and
ecologically and culturally
sensitive areas submitted by the
Arunachal Pradesh government.
The tribunal in its October 24
order said the clearance was
granted brushing aside views
of the non-offi cial members
of the standing committee of
the National Board for Wildlife.
"Having constituted a statutory
standing committee as per
the provisions of the central
enactment and in the absence
of the method of decision to
be taken by such a standing
committee, we are of the view
that either the chairperson,
who happens to be the minister
of state, should have given
proper reason for rejecting the
objection of a majority of the
non-offi cial members or the
decision ought to have been
arrived at based on the opinion
of the majority of the members
of the standing committee of
National Board. In the absence
of any acceptable reasons, we
have no hesitation to hold that
the decision of the minister as if
it is the decision of the standing
committee of NBWL, which
forms the basis of granting
of the FC (forest clearance)
in this case under the Forest
(Conservation) Act, 1980, is not
sustainable in law," it said.