|
Botanical Garden: A green marvel
A corner that has fed generations of IITians |
|
|
Meadows under siege
Study suggests steps to save sloth bear
|
Botanical Garden: A green marvel
Dehradun, June 26 As one treads down the garden, the strangulating giant climber Entada Parsaetha, commonly known as St Thomas Bean, can be found all over. A native of northeast and Peninsular India, this climber is spread a long distance inside the park.
According to Anup Chandra, scientist at the Institute’s Botany Division, Entada climber can cover a distance of as much as four kilometers.Similarly, Chinar, the pride of Kashmir, can also be found inside the garden. Even former Union Minister Saifudin Soz in one his visits to Forest Research Institute was surprised to find a Chinar tree at the garden. Ficus Krishnae, another specie found here, is associated with Lord Krishna as he ate butter on its cup-shaped leaves. Further, used for writing manuscripts during the Vedic age, the giant Bojpatra (Betula utilies) tree also stands tall in one of the corners of the garden. The Maiden Hair Tree, scientifically known as Ginkgo Biloba, is a delight for any botany student by virtue of it being a living fossil is also found inside the park. This species of tree, which is native to China and Japan, has undergone no changes since its evolution and thus proves to be an excellent case of study for those interested in botany. The Thorn tree, scientifically identified as Gleditria Assamica, has sharp thick thorns in the lower area of its trunk that act as a fence to ward-off wild animals. Then there is the Elephant Apple (Dillenia Indica) whose ball-shaped fruit is utilised by pachyderms inside the forests for playing. There is also a variety of Eucalyptus with pink trunk. Another tree found here is the Indian Horse Chest nut (Aesculus assamica), which has a big canopy and provides the much-needed shade to visitors during summers. Notably, it is at this garden that the concept of “Green Theatre” has been used. Brainchild of Dr Sas Biswas, scientist and head of Botany Division, the one of its kinds “Green Theatre is being utilised by both researchers and students of local colleges and schools. Describing the Botanical Garden as a living heritage of the country, Director Forest Research Institute Dr SS Negi said the garden stood as excellent means to gain knowledge on various aspects of biodiversity and forest genetic resource. “It has some of finest repositories and the natural trails that pass through the garden are a delight for any visitors,” he said. For students of biology and environment, the garden is an excellent place for study of various aspects of tree morphology, phenology, regeneration and tree architecture. The Botanical Garden can boast of over 400 species of trees with many exotic |
Meadows under siege Dehradun, June 26 On the contrary, the Uttarakhand forest department research wing had termed Drynaria Mallis as beneficial to trees and ruled out that its roots hurt the trees in any manner. Describing it as "Bird Nest Fern", State Forest Research Division claimed that uprooting of this fern could be detrimental to the trees in scared groves. In a letter, it has pointed out that the fern was instrumental in protecting the trees against any possible drying up. "These ferns absorb rainwater for long which in turn is transferred to the tree, thus preventing the latter from drying up during summers," said Manoj Chandra, senior forest official in the letter. He held that the roots of the fern never penetrated the host tree and were in no way harmful. Chandra categorically held that any uprooting of the fern would amount to a forest crime. However, the pathology division of FRI that had sent a two-member team there some time back confirmed that Drynaria Mallis had spread on Banj, Burash, Moru, Walnut and Salex trees. The team found that the fern had thickly spread on old and mature trees, while its presence was little less in Deodar, Kail and Rai trees. The FRI team had categorically held that Drynaria mallis was responsible for drying up of trees in "Ali Bedni Bagjee Bugyals". "The fern does not allow new branches to come up, which leads to drying up of a tree," the FRI report confirmed. Even though Uttarakhand Forest Department and FRI officials differ on the issue, for the "Bugyals" there is cause of alarm as the fern, also referred to as Tebiteeya, is fast-spreading across the Banj and Buransh trees. "Prompt action is needed or it could be virtual death for these Bugyals, known for their pristine beauty," said Dayal Singh Patwal, president of Aali Bedni Bagjee Bugyal Sarakshan Samiti. Patwal was instrumental in imposition of a ban on contractual grazing in the "Bugyals" in 2004. And after the contradictory reports, Patwal has now approached the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr RBS Rawat for prompt intervention in the matter. The latter has assured that the matter would be taken up on priority. |
Study suggests steps to save sloth bear
Haridwar, June 26 However, sloth bears face a severe crisis today and are hunted for various medicinal purposes. In addition, they face a threat from other wild animals, including tigers, leopards and wild dogs. Keeping in mind the extinction threat of this rare species, the government of India has put it under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
The sloth bear is also listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Albeit there are three varieties of bear in Uttarakhand - Sloth Bear, Sloth Black Bear and Sloth Brown Bear - the latter has adopted to both temperate and tropical conditions. Rajaji National Park director SS Rassailly says the sloth bear is a rare variety and in India its number is around 10,000, while in Rajaji it is around 20-25. “A sloth bear weighs anywhere from 60-145 kg and is140-170 cm long, but as it lives in seclusion it is rarely seen. So, the counting process is very arduous,” he said. Another worrying factor is that there are few detailed studies on the sloth bear and very little information is available about its movement, habitat, eating habits et al. In one such study carried out in the Rajaji National Park and the forest areas of Khara, Kasaan, Mithavali, Louni, Rawassan, Mundal in Chilla forest range, several startling facts were revealed about this elusive animal. To the credit of Rajaji authorities, ever since the decision to evacuate Gujjars from the Park area was taken, the movement of sloth bears has increased, especially in the past one year, which proves that human intervention hinders their natural movement. The importance of the study can be gauged from the fact that it has found space in the National Journal of Life Sciences as well. MS Negi, Ranger, Chilla, said: “We kept observing the movement of sloth bears for months. “As the animal is nocturnal and can’t see during the day, we had to track its movement in the dark, which made our task much more difficult considering the risk of wild animals at night.” The movement of sloth bears, as found from its pugmarks, was more in the Garhwal forest division, Luni, Rawasan, Mundal and Pulani areas. It is less during monsoon and summers and most in the period from mid-November to mid-January. “During other seasons most of its food is found inside the forest area, including Banyan, Jamun, Jungle Jalebi (Pithecellobium dulce), Bel, Mahua, Pipal, Gular etc. Honey, the favourite food of sloth bears, is available in plenty during monsoon,” informed biologist Ritesh Joshi. Radhe Shyam from the Department of Zoology, Gurkul Kangri University, informed that in the study it was also found that smell is the dominant sense in sloth bears; sight and hearing being extremely poor. “There is still contradiction on whether the sloth bear is omnivorous or not. Various studies reveal different facts, but our study shows that their diet depends upon different seasons and on availability of local food,” he said. Certain measures have also been laid out for its protection, including creation of artificial holes at short distances, strengthening of Chilla-Garhwal forest corridors, regular monitoring of the footprints, a population census based on scientific techniques, discussions with villagers living on the periphery of the forest area et al. The longterm survival of sloth bears depends on socio-economic as well as ecological considerations and needs individual attention, the study revealed. |
A corner that has fed generations of IITians
Roorkee, June 26 This attributed to the fact that still a large number of old students, do not forget to visit their favourite Bhatia Fast Food while traversing the town. Among these special visitors (old students) many now hold top positions in administration and MNCs. "DIG (Brailley) Avinash Chandra, commissioner (Police) Sanjay Tyagi and Brig Amarjeet Singh, who had spent their student life here, still come to meet me and eat bun-omelette whenever they visit the town," said the proud Ram Kumar Bhatia. One of the main reasons of the popularity of the shop was that it used to remain open for 24 hours. "For 20 years, it remained open for 24 hours. I seldom took breaks. Students love to come after midnight to have tea here," said Bhatia. Though the time has changed, no changes can be seen in this eating corner, except its name, which earlier was 'Bhatia Tea Corner'. "I changed the name because now a days students prefer shakes to tea," said Gagan. |
|
HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |