(IN): Forests cleared to save wildlife from trains

[Guest guest]

This is perhaps the 1st official indication that WILDLIFE has just no

BUSINESS to exist in India.

 

First they let in the web of rail tracks left right and center.

 

Then the Steel Monsters are set loose to massacre the animals big and small.

 

Then they enter into dialouges and discussions with the end number of

experts in wildlife conservation.

 

And finally they come out with this kind of a brilliant output.

 

Azam

 

 

http://thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22 & theme= & usrsess=1 & id=261517

<http://thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22 & theme= & usrsess=1 & id=261517>

*Forests cleared to save wildlife from trains*

 

;Sabyasachi Roy

KOLKATA, 20 JULY: To prevent elephants and bisons being run over by goods

trains in north Bengal, about 6,60,000 square meter of forest has been

cleared by the wildlife wing of the state forest department.

According to a senior official of the wildlife wing of state forest

department the decision was taken following the recommendations of an expert

committee set up by the state forest department under the guidance of the

Centre.

" Earlier in March, the committee was set up for capturing elephants, to

arrest incidence of elephant killing on railway track in north Bengal and

man-elephant conflicts in both north Bengal and south Bengal, " said the

official. The committee, however, decided to deforest 30 metres of forest on

both side of the 11 kilometre long railway track that passes through the

north Bengal forest division other than capturing of the elephants.

The official also said that the committee was set up after the publication

of a report by the state wild life wing last year. The reports show that

more than three dozen elephants have been killed after being hit by trains

between Siliguri and Alipurduar railway stations in the North East Frontier

Railway in the past eight years. And more than 542 people and 222 elephants

lost their lives in man-elephant conflicts in the past eight years. The

report further shows that the rate of both man and elephant deaths have gone

up with the increase of elephant population. Mr SB Mondal, principal chief

conservator of forest (wildlife and bio-diversity) said that as they had no

other option left the committee had to suggest felling down of trees of

66,0000 square meter land to avoid such accidents.

It may be recalled that earlier the forest department had repeatedly urged

the Centre to take necessary steps to arrest elephant death on tracks.

Even though the Union ministry of environment and forests has earmarked

north Bengal as a vulnerable elephant corridors but nothing has been done so

far, said another senior official. In deforesting such a huge areas the

forest department had to cut down several thousands of tress incurring a

huge loss of the department, added the official.

 

 

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