Page 57 - 31JAN2020E4

ENVIRONMENT

ards were killed every year. Action is
being taken under the Forest Animals
Act and last month 7 smugglers were
caught with leopard skins in Geedam
area of Bastar.
Principal Chief Conservator of For-
ests (Wildlife) Atul Kumar Shukla, while
confirming the poaching, told that 7
accused have been arrested while in-
cluding four leopard skins have been
confiscated in the big Kerala village on
Bijapur Road.
After the National Tiger Conserva-
tion Authority (NTCA) report, the Forest
Department started the investigation
and shockingly found that “some CRPF
personnel posted in Udanti-Sitanadi
Tiger Reserve are hunting wild animals

If you are coming
to Chhattisgarh as a
tourist to have a look including shooting and killing of a wild Conservator of Forests, IFS Rakesh
at the wildlife, you may bear. Months ago, there were allega- Chaturvedi said that CRPF person-
tions of killing of a dragon in Dornapal
nel have been accused of hunting, but
be in for disappointment of Bastar”. the jawans told that they fired in self-
However, CRPF spokesman Moses
defense. Chaturvedi said that there
because tigers have Dinakaran dismissed these allega- is no evidence to take immediate ac-
become almost extinct tions outright. He called it an act of tion, so orders have been given for
investigation.
self-defense.
from the forests Confirming this, Principal Chief However, forest minister Moham-
mad Akbar is serious about stopping
hunting of wildlife and he has sus-
pended three officers of assistant di-
rector level. Akbar says, whoever is the
culprit for hunting or allowing wildlife,
will not be spared, no matter how con-
nected the person is. He sdaid that the
government will take strict action in
this matter so that poachers and illegal
smuggling can be stopped.
As for as funds are concerned, there
is no shortage of funds with the Forest
Department for protection of wildlife.
The Forest Department received close
to 400 crores last year and another
400 crores this year but it remains
unutilised till date. Now this amount
of 800 crores will have to be utilized
by April, 2020. While there are funds,
the proposed Elephant Corridor is still
stuck. Is anybody listening?
LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

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