(IN) One million as compensation allocated to the nomads to resettle outside Gir!!!

[Guest guest]

ONE MILLION as compensation to resettle the maldharis!!!!!!!!! Wow!!! Can we

have that kind of budget funded for our flora n fauna conservation????? The

state govt of Gujarat has concern for maldharis who have been living inside the

Gir Sanctuary for centuries…but not for the poor Lions who are a pride of the

sanctuary n the state…and is striving hard to survive there!!!!!!Do I need to

remind the state govt that it's the only place where the Asiatic Lion can be

found in the Wild???? Amazing decision on the part of the state govt! I wonder

why is the stae govt so hell-bent on shifting something or the other from the

Gir….earlier it wanted to shift the Lions…when that project got shelved it

turned towards the maldharis!

Maldharis are nomadic herdsman….and know how to survive in adverse conditions

and geographical locations since ages. And yes they are backwards…so if the

state govt is doing it to gain some vote banks…..then it's a different issue

altogether! Get the support…Lions (and other animals) can go take a hike!!!! As

it is most of the animals are functionally extinct…it's just a matter of time

when they are completely wiped out with just photographs left of them from the

bygone years to remind you and your children that a majestic and powerful beast

roamed the face of the earth till the govt itself stepped in FOR THE GOOD OF THE

PEOPLE!

 

Warm Regards

Radhika Singh

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health-Science/Earth/Flora-Fauna/Gujarat-offe\

rs-hefty-sum-to-shift-out-of-Gir-/articleshow/4735088.cms

 

Gujarat offers hefty sum to shift out of Gir

3 Jul 2009, 2028 hrs IST, IANS

 

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government is planning to shift some 100 families of

the Maldhari community living inside the sprawling Gir National Park as part of

a project to resettle these herdsmen outside the sanctuary, officials said on

Friday.

According to the plan, prepared by the state environment and forests department,

each family will receive a compensation of Rs. 1 million and would be

rehabilitated outside the sanctuary by the end of 2010, an official of the

department said, requesting anonymity.

 

He added that the compensation amount has already been allocated in the Gujarat

State Budget 2009-10, announced by State Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala in the

assembly on the opening day of its monson session.

 

The Maldharis have been living inside the Gir sanctuary for centuries and

consistently refused proposals for relocation made by the past state governments

since 1972.

 

However, the government has now worked out a compensation package which may be

acceptable to the Maldharis, he said.

 

Over the years, the state government could persuade only a small number of

Maldhari families to relocate, while the rest of the herdsmen continued to live

inside the national park, the official added.

 

The Gir sanctuary, spread over 1,000 sq. km in western Gujarat, is home to some

350 Asiatic lions - the only place where the species can still be found in the

wild now.

 

Experts say the lions are threatened by man-animal conflict, accidents and

poaching. Earlier, a proposal to shift a pride of lions to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno

Wildlife Sanctuary was made, but it has been rejected by the state government

citing security reasons. The case is pending in the Supreme Court.