News Analysis India

Tag: Central Zoo Authority

  • SC constituted committee seeks reply over illegal tree felling in Corbett Tiger Reserve

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: A Supreme Court constituted committee has directed the Uttarakhand state forest department to submit reply about allegations pertaining to illegal felling of trees, illegal construction of buildings and water bodies in Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) landscape. 

    A practising advocate alleged 163 thousand trees have been felled in the protected sanctuary. 

    Earlier this month, Central Zoo Authority (CZA) had issued notice to the chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand on the issue of illegal tree cutting in Kalagarh forest division in the name of establishment of Pakhrau tiger safari. 

    The CZA issued the said notice on the legal issued by Gaurav Kumar Bansal, a practising advocate of the Supreme Court and a wild life activist, wherein he has requested the CZA & NTCA to withdraw their approval for establishment of the tiger safari in Pakhrau forest division. 

    In the notice, Bansal has stated that Forest Advisory Committee, MoEFCC, Govt of India recommended the said proposal only after the written assurance from Uttarakhand forest dept fficials that only 163 trees will be felled for the establishment of the safari. 

    Bansal has also pointed out the letter written by the director of the CTR wherein he has also called for a report from DFO Kalagarh regarding illegal felling of trees in the name of establishment of the safari. 

    The director of CTR in the letter dated July 6, 2021 raised the issue of illegal felling of the trees within the jurisdiction of DFO, Kalagarh. 

    Earlier, the National Tiger Conservation Authority had sought factual status report from the state forest department on the issue of opening of tourism in a critical tiger habitat of Rajaji Tiger Reserve. 

    The letter addressed to the chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand dated September 7, 2021 states, “Kindly share the factual status report about the same through registered post.”

    This comes after Gaurav Kumar Bansal sent a legal notice to the NTCA on the issue citing serious violations of laws and endangering the national animal as well as other wildlife.

  • Dehradun Diary: All that is happening in ‘Dev Bhoomi’

    Express News Service

    Illegal tree felling in Kalagarh division

    Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has issued a notice to the chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand on the issue of illegal tree felling in Kalagarh forest division in the name of establishing Pakhrau Tiger Safari.

    The CZA has issued the said notice drafted by Gaurav Kumar Bansal, a practising advocate of the Supreme Court and a wildlife activist, wherein he has requested the CZA & NTCA to withdraw their approval for the establishment of the tiger safari in Pakhrau forest division.

    In the notice, Bansal has stated that the Forest Advisory Committee, MoEFCC, Government of India recommended the said proposal only after the written assurance from the Uttarakhand forest department that only 163 trees would be felled for the establishment of the safari.

    Uttarakhand safest state, but not for women

    Uttarakhand has proved to be the safest state in India for the third consecutive year since 2018, reveals the 2020 report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Only six crimes were registered against senior citizens in 2018 and 2019 each and four in 2020.

    A total of 24,794 crimes were recorded in 2020 across India, with Maharashtra (4,909), Madhya Pradesh (4,602) and Gujarat (2,785) topping the chart. However, on the flip side, Uttarakhand tops in crime against women among nine Himalayan states.

    The state registered 2,846 cases of crime against women including, rape, murder and kidnapping in 2020 followed by Himachal Pradesh (1,614) and Meghalaya (568).

    IIT-Roorkee detects unprecedented changes in radio pulsar

    IIT-Roorkee has made a milestone achievement for the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA) team of astronomers, of which the IIT-R researchers are part. The InPTA team has detected unprecedented changes in a radio pulsar with the help of a highly versatile, sensitive and upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT).

    The InPTA is a collaboration of Indian and Japanese astronomers from several institutes, including IIT-R. Earlier this year, the InPTA became a part of the International pulsar timing array (IPTA) consortium, an international collaboration aiming to catch the elusive nanohertz gravitational waves.

    Dubious distinction for Uttarakhand

    India has registered over 43 per cent rise in environment offences since 2018, revealed the NCRB 2020 report. Uttarakhand had registered a spike of 655 per cent in such offences from 2018 to 2020. In 2018, a total of 35,196 environmental offences were registered across all states and Union Territories followed by 34,676 cases in 2019, which rose to 61,767 in 2020.

    Uttarakhand (11.1 per cent) stood on the third spot in the rate of offences, with Tamil Nadu (56 per cent) and Rajasthan (12 per cent) occupying the first two slots. In 2018, 194 offences were registered in Uttarakhand followed by 96 in 2019, which rose to 1,271 in 2020.

  • Bird flu: Centre directs zoos to submit daily report to Central Zoo Authority

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A day after over 1,200 birds were found dead in the country with seven states confirming outbreak of avian influenza, the Centre on Sunday directed zoo managements to submit daily report to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) till their area is declared free from the disease.

    The CZA, under the environment ministry, issued an office memorandum directing management of all zoos to strengthen surveillance and aviary management.

    “In endemic areas, entry to aviary sections may be monitored and restricted, and all vehicles entering the zoo may be sanitised.

    All water bodies within the zoo should be monitored and artificial water bodies may be drained.

    “Bird exchange programmes (both national and international may be stopped until further notice). Entry points of migratory birds to be strictly monitored. Aviary enclosures may be disinfected and all keepers in the sections may be instructed to follow disinfection protocol and use PPE kits which may be destroyed as per standard protocols,” it said.

    The CZA said avian influenza is a scheduled disease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, and reporting such a disease is obligatory for taking appropriate preventive measures against its spread.

    “In the event of declaration of infected area within a zoo, either due to outbreak within the zoo or if the zoo is located within the surveillance zone as notified by central/state government, the officer in charge of the zoo shall submit a daily report to the office of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) till the area is declared free from avian influenza by the competent authority,” the memorandum stated.

    Reporting and monitoring format in the daily report will have the name of the zoo, district, total number of bird species housed there, total number of birds in the zoo, free ranging birds (species and any other data observations as available), number of suspected cases, number of samples sent for confirmation and name of laboratory to which samples were sent.

    The CZA also advised that strict hygiene protocols must be maintained in all aviaries and all droppings must be collected, disinfected and disposed of appropriately.

      Over 1,200 birds were found dead across the country on Saturday, including 900 in a poultry farm in Maharashtra, with the Centre saying that the outbreak of avian influenza has been reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of affected states to seven.

    Besides Uttar Pradesh, the other six states where bird flu has been confirmed were Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.

    The Centre on Saturday said confirmation of bird flu in Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, is awaited as the samples have been sent for testing.