State-wise list of the proposals considered by the Forest Advisory Committee during its last meeting convened on 18.11.2010

The Forest Advisory Committee considered proposals during its last meeting convened on 18.11.2010 for diverting forest land  and temporary working permission for 9  states. There were no proposals from  Assam , Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim,Tamilnadu, Tripura and West Bengal .

State-wise list annexed.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by  Shri Mohd. Ali Khan   in Rajya Sabha today.

KP

State-wise list of the proposals considered by the Forest Advisory Committee during its last meeting convened on 18.11.2010

Sl. No.	State	Details of the Proposal Considered by theForest Advisory Committee In its Last Meeting Convened on 18.11.2010
1.	Andhra Pradesh	Diversion of 42.071 ha. (22.195 ha. in Nellore Division and 19.876 ha. in Wildlife ProddaturDivision) forest land in favour of Chief Manager, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. for erection of 400 KV multi circuit power transmission line from Krishnapatnam –Gooty-Koornool
		Diversion of 97.486 ha of forest land for Galikonda Bauxite mining in Sunkarametta R.F. of Paderu Forest Division in favour of M/s Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation Limited (APMDCL), Hyderabad
		Diversion of 54.657 ha of forest land forRakthakonda Bauxite mining in Anantagiri R.F. of Visakhapatnam Forest Division in favour of M/s Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation Limited (APMDCL), Hyderabad
		Diversion of 153.665 ha of forest land forChittamgondi Bauxite mining in MuliagaluguR.F. of Paderu Forest Division in favour of M/s Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation Limited (APMDCL).
2.	Arunachal Pradesh	Diversion of 67.50 ha of forest land for construction of Dumro-Etalin road from 0.00 km to 15.00 km in favour of M/s BRTF in DibangValley district of Arunachal Pradesh
3.	Chhattisgarh	Diversion of 59.874 ha of forest land for widening & improvement of 42 km longRatanpur-Majnwani-Kenda-Keonchi Road infavour of PWD in Marwahi Forest Division  inBilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.
4.	Goa	Diversion of additional 32.3315 ha forest land for renewal of mining lease under TC no. 87/1953 located at village of Sanguem Taluka in favour of M/s Sociedade Timblo Irmaos Limited, represented by M/s Panduranga Timbloindustries Goa in North Goa district of Goa
5.	Himachal Pradesh	Diversion of 63.5015 ha of forest land for the construction of 402 MW Shongtong-KarchamHydro Electric Project in favour of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPSEB) inKinnaur Forest Division in Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh.
6.	Karnataka	Diversion of 172.53 ha of forest land for the construction of 400 KV D/C line (CKT-1) fromNandikur (Udupi) Generating Station to 400/220 KV Receiving Station at Shantigrama (Hassan) infavour of the Executive Engineer (Elect), major works Division, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited, Hassan.
		Diversion of 98.02 ha. of deemed forest land inTumkur District for establishment of TumkurUniversity Campus, Karnataka.
		Letter from Shri Raddhe Mohan Singh, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) addressed to Minister for Environment & Forests and copy to others including DGF&S regarding alleged gross irregularities committed by M/s Suzlon Energy Ltd.
7.	Madhya Pradesh	Diversion of 66.359 ha. forest land in favour of M/s. Reliance Cementation Pvt. Ltd. for limestone mining in Sadhera Block No. P-536 ofMaihar Forest Range in Satna District of Madhya Pradesh
		Diversion of 65.00 ha. forest land in favour of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. for its DhanpuriUnderground Coal mine in Sahdol district of Madhya Pradesh
		Diversion of 75.479 ha of forest land in favour of the South East Central Railway for Gondia- Jabalpur gauge conversion project
		Diversion of 210.807 ha. of forest land for underground coal mining in favour of Madhya Pradesh State Mining Corporation Ltd. for underground mining in Mandla South Coal Block in Chindwara District of Madhya Pradesh
		Coal sector projects regarding their location vis-à-vis pench-Satpura Tiger Corridor.
8.	Orissa	Diversion of 15.393 ha. of forest land (including 4.325 ha. of forest land to be maintained as safety zone) in village Sainindupur and Oraghatin Sundargarh district, Orissa for Iron ore mining by M/s Rungta Sons Pvt. Ltd. in addition to already diverted area of 53.742 ha. of Revenue forest land of Gramya Jungle/ Jungle category during 1st Renewal of Mining Lease
		Proposal for Temporary Working Permission to M/s Essel Mining & Industries Ltd. over 34.250 ha. already broken up forest area in respect of their Koira Iron Ore Mines in Bonai Forest Division of Sundargarh district of Orissa
9.	Uttarakhand	Diversion of 107.609 ha. forest land in favour of Technical Education Department for setting up of National Institute of Technology (NIT) atSumadi in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand

                                                     

Harish Salve suggest Supreme Court to direct the Centre to establish national environment assessment and monitoring authority (NEAMA) a reworked version of the, National Environment Protection Authority (NEPA)

Media war is on CNN-IBN and NDTV

Indiana Jones,Han Solo explains importance of Wild Life in St Petersburg summit

When Harrison Ford stars, the audience expects a hero. Two years back Harrison Ford's portrayal of Indiana Jones fighting Soviets earned protests from communists and added the Communist Party of St Petersburg to his list of adversaries.

Today he is loved for his commitment to save wildlife trade. At Tiger summit in St Petersburg the Indian Jones was in a different avatar. He demanded wildlife conservation and to stop the illegal wildlife trade.

Wildlife Trade is is any sale or exchange of wild animal and plant resources by people. The international wildlife trade is a serious conservation problem. Over the years illegal wildlife trade has emerged as a form of Organized Transnational Crime that has threatened the existence of many wild species across the globe. Wildlife trade is a source of easy money for organized crime groups because the profits are lucrative and the risk of detection is low. Even if caught, prosecutions are often difficult and penalties minimal.

There is not a single country in the world that has the response to wildlife crime right.

The global illegal trade in wildlife has a devastating impact on some of the world's most endangered species one of them is tigers. Tiger is one such precious animal hunted all over its range for its skin, bones and other parts, besides finding use in trophies. In fact, every part of the animal is used in one way or the other. Its bones find their way into traditional oriental medicine, though there is no scientific evidence of their efficacy. Most consumers of tiger parts are from South-East Asia (China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan). In India, tiger skins have a ready market and sell for anything between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 each.

IIn Russia Governments of some 13 countries where tigers live have agreed an action plan to try and save the enigmatic big cats from global decimation.Participants in the summit have pledged to double tiger numbers by 2022. Conservation efforts will centre around protecting habitats, tackling poaching, targeting the illegal trade in tiger parts and - crucially - sourcing the finances needed for the plan to succeed.

Unfortunately in our country India the bodies have a funding crunch who fight illegal trade. We have insufficient funding to conduct work in the illegal trade of wildlife over the internet. One can imagine Interpol’s Wildlife Crime Officer.

Unless the ongoing trade in wildlife and its derivatives is stopped, most species-faced as they are with problems of habitat loss, fragmentation and inbreeding - will be lost forever. The cheetah is a classic example, a species hunted to the dead end of extinction in India.

http://globaltigerinitiative.org/

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9KCTFjEIlA&feature=player_embedded

Pollution in mining areas

LIFE: Pollution in mining areas

Category »  Editorial Posted On Wednesday, November 24, 2010

One of the emerging industrial hubs in the State  Singrauli  is plagued by spiralling pollution levels and it is in the right earnest that the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) has decided to conduct an environmental study of the area with the  cooperation of Housing and Environment Department, in order to prepare a sustainable environmental plan for the area.  The Board has also mooted a proposal to shift its Rewa-based regional office to Singrauli, to check the fast changing environmental situation in the area.  Singrauli is gifted with abundant natural resources like coal deposits, which feed the major industries across the country. As is the case with most of the regions with rich mineral reserves and mineral based industries and other allied industries, Singrauli too is reeling under a high pollution load. The district, home to a number of mineral-based industries including thermal power stations, is highly affected by coal mining, allied operations and emissions from diversified industries.  In this region the problems may be many. Mining operations, allied activities and the urban settlements and colonies that are in close proximity to each other, are all resulting in a growth pattern, which is mutually incompatible and environmentally unsustainable.  These activities are also disposing their waste in a haphazard manner, which could result in even higher levels of pollution, degraded land and choked and polluted streams.  Significantly, the Central Pollution Control Board has declared parts of Singrauli as problem areas. Government of Madhya Pradesh (Housing and Environment Department) and MPPCB have now decided to carry out a Rapid Environmental Study of the region, to identify the land parcels within the district suitable for further industrialisation.  This proposed task would include survey of existing industries, especially the compliance of conditions imposed by regulatory authorities, environmental monitoring and modeling, followed by the application of spatial planning tools.  The MPPCB has issued the notification, inviting Expression of Interests (EoIs) from consultant institutions, including academic institutions, autonomous bodies and other reputed organisations for the proposed environmental survey.  In view of the above fact, the Pollution Control Board of Madhya Pradesh government has taken a right decision, which will help tide over pollution problems in Singrauli. With this, it can also be hoped that the state government will undertake such steps in other mining areas of the state. Ataullah Faizan

legitimate desire of Indians living abroad to have a say in who governs India is fulfilled.

Ghariyal and Crocodile in the Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

Ghariyal and Crocodile have been included in the Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, thereby affording them highest degree of protection. There are about 800 Ghariyals and 300 Crocodiles in National Chambal Sanctuary.

Details of mortality of Ghariyals and Crocodiles in Chambal Sanctuary during the last three years are given at Annexure. There are several reasons for the death of Ghariyals and Crocodiles including natural death, poaching, and possible affects of some toxins manifested as articular and visceral gout, infestation of nematodes and entanglement in the fishing nets etc.

Action taken by the Government to protect Ghariyals and Crocodiles and its habitat include the following: (i)     Ghariyal and Crocodile have been included in the Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, thereby affording them highest degree of protection. (ii)   Important habitats of Ghariyals and Crocodiles like the Chambal River passing through the States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajsthan and Uttar Pradesh have been declared as National Chambal Sanctuary. (iii)  Financial and technical assistance is provided to the State Governments under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’ for conservation and protection of wildlife including Ghariyal and Crocodile and their habitats. (iv)  Efforts are made by the State Governments to stop illegal sand mining from the river sanctuaries to avoid damage to the habitat of Ghariyals and Crocodiles. (v)   Breeding of Ghariyals in captivity has been successfully standardized and as and when required, captive bred Ghariyals are released into the river habitats.

                                                           MADHYA PRADESH

Year	Ghariyals	Crocodiles
2007-08	37	01
2008-09	05	-
2009-10	05	01
Total	47	02

RAJASTHAN

Year	Ghariyals	Crocodiles
2007-10	02	02
Total	02	02

UTTAR PRADESH

Year	Ghariyals	Crocodiles
2007-08	75	01
2008-09	03	-
2009-10	-	-
Total:	78	01

           

            This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh