PUNJAB CHIEF MINISTER DEFENDS HIS AVIARY

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*Keeping exotic birds not illegal, replies Amarinder *

*Arvind

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*Solan, September 21:* DISMISSING reports of any violation of the Wild Life

Protection Act, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has finally submitted

his reply to the authorities of the Himachal Forest Department regarding the

exotic pheasants kept in captivity at his Dochi farmhouse near Chail.

 

After the reply of Amarinder Singh, the department officials will now again

visit Dochi to ascertain whether the information provided by him is correct.

 

 

[image: Advertisement] Amarinder Singh in his reply has clearly stated

that all the birds kept at the farmhouse do not fall under the purview of

the Wild Life Protection Act. Notably, the Range Forest Officer (Wild Life)

Chail had written a letter to Amarinder Singh in the first week of this

month asking him to provide all necessary details about the pheasants being

reared and bred at his Dochi farmhouse after receiving reports that the

birds had been kept under captivity allegedly in violation of laws. The

Range Forest Officer had sought the information within a fortnight.

 

After that, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had also sought

the details of the rare birds from the Himachal Forest Department. The issue

concerning the alleged violations had gained political heat after the state

spokesman of the Bhartiya Janta Party Dr Rajeev Bindal and general secretary

of Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh had demanded a high-level probe and

action against Amarinder Singh.

 

Reliable sources in the Forest Department revealed that Amarinder Singh was

asked to provide the total number of rare birds, documents concerning

permission, species of birds and other related details. There were reports

that some Indian pheasants had also been spotted at the farmhouse. As per

various sections of the Wild Life Protection Act, Indian pheasants can not

be reared without permission.

 

Sources revealed that Amarinder Singh in his reply stated that currently

about 300 pheasants of four species are kept at the farmhouse. Out of the

300, some pheasants were brought by his forefathers while some were

purchased from authorised sellers in Delhi a few years ago. He had stated

that all the pheasants kept at Dochi did not fall under the Schedule I

category of the Wild Life Act. Singh had mentioned that keeping exotic

pheasants in captivity was not in violation of any law.

 

Sources revealed that after reports of exotic pheasants having been kept at

the farmhouse, the officials of the Wild Life Department had taken up the

issue with the Central Zoo Authority of India and the Convention for

International Trade in Endangered Species to find out whether there was any

violation at the Dochi farmhouse.

 

''As such no violations have been detected at the Dochi farmhouse,'' said a

senior officer of the state forest department. Seeking anonymity, he said

that the department had received the reply and now would make physical

verifications at the farmhouse.