TAL is still chosen abode of tigers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5
At times when corridor losses, increasing human wildlife conflict and illegal wildlife trade have become a major challenge for the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), a key tiger habitat of Indian sub-continent, it continues to hold its reputation.

The Wildlife Institute of India's recent estimates of tiger occupancy for TAL indicates that while the central region of TAL has tiger occupancy as high as 90 per cent, the western region tiger occupancy stands at 60 per cent whereas in the eastern region, TAL keeps a tiger occupancy of 40 per cent. Similarly, tiger density estimates in selected forest patches in the western region ranged from 1.1 to 9.7 tiger per 100 skm, while in the eastern region it ranged from 1.4 to 6.6 tiger per 100 skm.

As tiger population in TAL continues to face challenges due to continuing habitat fragmentation, WII through its ongoing project, "Landscape ecology of large mammals in Terai Arc Landscape" is targeting this flagship species in the landscape ecology perspective.

Taking into account the significance of TAL for tigers, the WII also suggests for surveying the entire landscape after every 10 years in order to provide an update of the status of tiger source habitats and corridors.

The Terai Arc Landscape in the Indian sub-continent comprises the area between the river Bhagmati in the east and the Yamuna in the west, all along the Shivailk hills in India and the Churia hills in Nepal, covering the Himalayan foothills, the terrain flood plains and the bhabahar tracts. It lies within the two countries of India and Nepal, where it covers of approximately 30,000 square km. In India, TAL lies in three states, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and included as many as 10 protected areas, including Corbett and Rajaji National Park, while in Nepal western Terai landscape complex stretches from Bardia national park in the east to Shuklaphanta Wildlife reserve in the west.

As TAL falls across two countries, there are reports of poaching from Nepal side and several illegal wildlife trades allegedly take place from this border. There is poaching by tribals, locals and wealthy farmers, especially of animals, which enter their agriculture fields. There are reported organised poaching gangs from Nepal which are active in border adjoining areas. The corridor area has trans-boundary significance for the big cat species tiger and to control of illegal trade and poaching.

TAL's importance of tigers can be gauged from the fact that it boasts of having the densest population of tigers in the world. 

Search on for long lost quail
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 5
Nothing less than a dedicated survey is needed to search the elusive Himalayan Quail, even as the Uttarakhand forest authorities try to make another attempt by announcing a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who sights the bird and is able to substantiate the claim with photographic evidence.

Falling in the critically endangered category of the Red Data list of IUCN since 1994, the Himalayan Quail was last seen 60 years before independence and many bird watchers do not rule out the bird being near extinct.

However, there has been a mixed response on the possibility of its sighting in the future on part of those studying avian fauna.

K Ramesh, scientist of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and an avian fauna expert said a dedicated scientific survey was now the only option left to find the bird. He said there had already been three surveys to search the Himalayan Quail in the recent years and many more had taken place in the past but in vain.

“Only a dedicated survey can now serve the purpose”, he added. He also pointed out that even the studies on the bird were not complete as it was yet to be known as to whether it was a resident bird or had a migrant nature.

Interestingly, as the Himalayan Quail favours dense grass and is reluctant to fly, the WII had, some time back, suggested utilising the flushing technique with the help of trained dogs to get a clearer picture on the presence of the bird. But the suggestion was turned down by the forest authorities as they felt such an exercise would have an adverse effect on the rest of the wildlife.

Some years back, the Bird Life International had favoured a well-planned survey of the apparently suitable habitat of the Himalayan Quail in the lower Himalayan ranges, through the use of remote sensing and satellite data, followed by ground surveys. Similarly, the Union Environment Ministry had also asked the state government to work for the protection of Himalayan Quail a few years back.

Despite this, little has so far been done by the state forest authorities to embark upon a comprehensive scientific survey to assess the presence of the bird in the region.

Significantly, the Himalayan Quail owes its type quality to hill resort of Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, where it was sighted in the Jharipani area by J E Gray in the year 1846. The last confirmed sighting of the Himalayan Quail was in 1876.

Policemen made aware of laws on cattle smuggling
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 6
The Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board and the People for Animals, Uttarakhand, conducted an animal welfare laws training session at the Uttarakhand Police Training Academy, Narendranagar, in Tehri Garhwal today.

The training aimed at raising awareness about animal welfare laws with special focus on cattle smuggling which is rampant in the state. The need to implement the provisions of the Uttarakhand Gau Sanrakshan Adhiniyam 2007 was also discussed.

The provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, were explained by Dr Ashutosh Joshi of the Uttarakhand Animal Welfare Board and Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry Department and Gauri Maulekhi, co-opted member, AWBI, and Member Secretary, People for Animals, Uttarakhand.

Besides, some provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, were discussed and the involvement of police personnel in mitigating man-animal conflict was also taken up.

“It has been requested by the PFA, Uttarakhand, to make such training sessions more and more regular so that the department is sensitised and updated on laws that protect the environment and animals,” said Gauri Maulekhi.

Large tracts of forest land in Terai under cultivation
Our correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 6
Large portions of land in the Terai region of the state, which have been declared as forest land and have been enlisted into the forest records, were under regular cultivation by the occupants, almost from last three generations.

It has been revealed in a report being prepared by the Forest Department, to count the Goths and Khattas existing in the Terai region.“The Goths and Khattas are the land portions which have been allocated for grazing purposes by the then British Government in the Terai region during 1930s when the Britishers had started making a new settlement of the Terai land,” said a forest officer.

“The total portion of land under cultivation in all the five forest divisions of the Terai region traced so far has been counted to 5,120 acres,” said Vivek Pandey, conservator of forest. He said the report would be prepared by October 15, 2013.

According to the Forest Department sources, the people who were cultivating the forest land in the Terai region, had taken advantage of the British allocation for grazing purposes in 1923 and thereafter.

“The people who were allotted the land for pastures, have instead cut the forests and started cultivating the land, the trend which is continuing since then,” said an official of the Forest Department.

According to the under prepared report, in the eastern part of the forest division of Terai, over 8,000 acres of forest land was under cultivation by illegal occupants.

The Forest Department has now prepared the report after surveying all the five forest divisions in Terai region to know actual position of the forest land in the Terai region.

“On the instruction of the government, we have compiled the report from all the forest divisions in the Terai region. Some technical problems has come up in preparing the report, which has now been removed and the report will be sent to the government soon,” added Pandey.

Cong IT cell to counter BJP campaign
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 6
Pragnesh Tewar, trainer, All-India Congress Committee Information Technology, said the Congress has geared up itself to counter the BJP malicious campaign unleashed against the UPA Government.

Pragnesh Tewar said the Congress was fast taking up to IT so that the slanderous campaign launched by the BJP against the UPA II could be countered effectively.

He said the BJP at the behest of its Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, had launched a false propaganda against the UPA through social media and asserted that the Congress need to reply to such campaign effectively.

He admitted that the Congress had made a late beginning toward spreading its wings in social media, but asserted that the party was now getting an overwhelming response.

He said like other parts of the country, Uttarakhand too was given emphasis for strengthening Congress in the social media.

He said Congress IT cell in Uttarakhand needed to take its organisational structure to block level.

Shilpi Arora, Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson, said the social media today was most effective tool to take the works of both Centre and state governments to the people.

The Uttarakhand IT Cell organised a day long workshop in Dehradun which was participated by a total of 150 delegates.

Rachit Sethi from Congress IT cell disclosed that the BJP had paid its employees to work round the clock to generate opinion in favour of the BJP in the social media and resort to false propaganda againstthe Congress.

He called up the Congress workers particularly youth to become active in social media and counter BJP's false propaganda.

He said the Congress was successful in branding Narendra Modi as "Feku" through social media. Gaurav Joshi, Dinesh Upmanyu and Nasir Hussain were present at the workshop. 

Man dedicates life to environment, plants more than one lakh saplings
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Environmentalist Sunil Kumar Shrivastava, who has planted more than 1 lakh saplings, in Haridwar on Sunday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Haridwar, October 6
Sunil Kumar Shrivastav, an environmentalist from Lucknow, has planted more than one lakh saplings of high quality and medicinal-fruit variety at different places. Kumar started plantation drive in 1993 and later formed a society named "Hariyali" with the help of people.

The society has planted more than 90,000 trees alone in Lucknow, Kanpur, Kannauj, Ayodhya and other cities in Uttar Pradesh.

The society is now keen to have a major plantation drive in Uttarakhand.

Sunil Kumar Shrivastav said since his childhood, he was closer to nature and used to participate in plantation drives in Lucknow.

His interest grew in Botany. He later did M.Sc in Botany and expanded his knowledge in botanical, ayurvedic and other medicinal properties of various plants. He organised ‘sapling bhandaras’ and ‘plantation langars’.

“Via 'religious bhandaras' people get religious-spiritual satisfaction, but I get the same feeling with the 'plantation bhandaras'. Distribution of plant saplings of high quality are given free of cost to the people. When, one plants a sapling on his own, only then he feels a responsibility to make sure that the sapling nurtures safely. We give saplings to only those people who show interest," said Shrivastava, while distributing free saplings in the city today.

"Varieties of pomegranate, aloevera, neem, citrus fruits and other medicinal plants are in much demand as after knowing their benefits, people are more interested in planting them in their home gardens or backyards," added Shrivastava.

While asking about the need of government help, he said it was up to the government to provide aid to such social efforts.“When government angle comes in there are lots of channels, officers and rules which divulge such initiative. There are Forest Department, National Park Authorities and Horticulture Department, but it’s not a hidden fact that the green cover is shrinking in the country," he added.

Indian, Nepal army men exchange counter-terrorism experiences
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 6
A magnificent parade and customary exchange of mementos marked the culmination of the fifth Indo-Nepal Combined Military Training in Pithoragarh today. The training began on September 23, 2013 and named "Surya Kiran V", by the Garur division of the Indian army under whose aegis, the training program was conducted.

The training was aimed at not only training the troops from both the countries in counter terrorism operations, but also to strengthen the defence cooperation and better military relations between the two countries.

This exercise provided an ideal platform for the army personnel from both the countries in exchanging their experiences in the counter terrorism activities in the mountain regions.

Besides getting training in familiarisation of weapons and equipments being used by armies of both the countries, the exercise underwent training the army personnel in disaster management aspects which frequently affected both the countries.

According to the Army sources, the combined military training programmes between India and Nepal were based on an agreement, which was signed during the meeting of the seventh Nepal-India bilateral consultative group on security.

The joint military training exercises between the two counties had began at the platoon level in 2011 and have now reached at the battalion level and continues to increase as the cooperation between the two countries had increased, said the Indian army sources.

Harish Rawat’s remarks rob CM of credit for restarting Char Dham Yatra

The restart of the pilgrimage by to Kedarnath and Badrinath dhams on October 5, which was disrupted following the massive natural disaster in mid-June this year, could have been a matter of satisfaction for the Uttarakhand Congress government headed by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

However, the observation by Union Minister of Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat, a bitter political opponent of the Chief Minister, on the preparations and condition of the trek route to the Kedarnath route has put dampers on the government efforts.

Harish Rawat was in the first group of pilgrims who trekked the Himalayan heights to reach Kedarnath on October 5 to pray on the first day of auspicious “Navratras”.

After his pilgrimage, Harish Rawat said the route carved out by the administration was ‘dangerous” at many places due to fear of landslides and the state government should look for an alternative safer route. He said that time was short for the state government since winter had already set in and soon the area would be snowbound and there would lesser time to prepare for the yatra in the next summer.

The statement is seen in the Congress circles as an attempt by Harish Rawat to rob the Chief Minister of credit for restarting the char dham yatra. Harish Rawat has not left any opportunity to embarrass the Chief Minister.

His statement has created a storm in the political circles, with opposition BJP leaders pouncing on the state Congress government for its alleged failure to open the roads and trek route even after three and a half months of the natural tragedy.

Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Leader of the Opposition Ajay Bhatt said that the statement by Harish Rawat has vindicated their stand that the condition of roads in the hills was far from safe. The controversy has taken the sheen out of the achievement of the state government in claiming to start the Char Dham yatra.

Reacting to the issues raised by Harish Rawat, the Chief Minister said that the trek route to Kedarnath was an interim arrangement and not the final trek route. He said the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been doing a survey and after its final report, fresh alignment of the route would be undertaken. Rubbishing the opposition charge, he said the BJP has not been able to fathom the fact that the Char Dham yatra has restarted despite numerous constraints.

However, despite the state government massive publicity drive, not many pilgrims have come to visit these shrine. A total of 49 pilgrims formed the first bath of pilgrims to Kedarnath which bore the burnt of rain fury an resultant massive floods in June this year.

Thirty two pilgrims from outside,15 from Uttarakhand and two foreigners formed part of the first batch of pilgrims. For Badrinath, a group of nearly 200 pilgrims in 30 vehicles reached the temple.

But there were hiccups as landslides at Pinloa Ghat, 10 km from Joshimath, blocked the road. The pilgrims were moved to Badrinath dham by trans-shipment across the landslide zone.

It is a fact that despite claims by the state government, life has yet to return to normal with most of the roads damaged, more than 700 school buildings damaged, more than 200 bridges to be rebuilt and many of the remote hilly villages in the disaster hit areas remaining inaccessible.

It would be gigantic task to rebuild the infrastructure.

— SMA Kazmi

Tomar is new chief of Bar Council
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 6
On the appeal of Advocate Yogendra Singh Tomar, the Nainital High Court has declared the the Bar Council chairman election, Uttarakhand, null and void and directed the election officer to remove the present chairman and appoint Yogendra Singh Tomar as the new chairman of the council.

After the High Court judgment, the present chairman of the Bar Council, Amarpal, will have to leave his post.

Yogendra Singh Tomar contested the Bar Council chairman election in January, he challenged the poll results alleging manipulations.

"In the election, out of the total 20 votes, I got eight first preferential votes and Amarpal got six first preferential votes, but during the counting, the election officer invalidated four votes out of which two were polled in my favour, claiming that they were written in roman and declared Amarpal as the chairman of the Bar Council," said Tomar.

"I challenged the decision of the election officer and after a struggle of eight months, the High Court has found three votes valid, out of which two were polled in my favour being a first preferential choice," he added.

He also claimed that there was a provision of casting the vote in three languages i.e. english, hindi and roman. The decision of the election officer to invalidate votes on the basis that they were written in roman was totally irrational and illegal.

Former State Bar Council Chairman, Razia Beg, said, "We have always fought for truth and justice and we had to go to Supreme Court for unfolding the truth in front of everybody."

Tomar said he would work for the welfare of the advocates and bring more transparency in the Bar Council.

‘BJP stand on Char Dham route vindicated’
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 6
Ajay Bhatt, Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, said the stand of the Uttarakhand BJP about the poor condition of the road connecting the Char Dham route, stands vindicated as Harish Rawat, Union Water Resource Minister, too has witnessed the condition of the roads.

Bhatt said Rawat had visited Kedarnath and found the roads in bad condition. “The hollow claims made by the government now lie exposed,” said Bhatt.