(IN): Conspiracy to finish off tigers: Ramesh

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http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/conspiracy-to-finish-off-tigers-ramesh-19264.php

 

*Conspiracy to finish off tigers: Ramesh*

 

Monday April 5, 2010, Kaziranga National Park

 

Minister Jairam Ramesh has said that a " determined effort " is on to finish off

the tiger population in the country.

 

Speaking to NDTV at Kaziranga National Park in Assam on Monday, he said: " It

is not coincidental, it's not an accident, there is a deliberate conspiracy

of real estate and mining mafia. "

 

" I can't explain the unnatural mortality at Corbett, but this is an effort

by some to depopulate tiger so they can take over Corbett, " he added.

 

On his first Kaziranga safari as Environment and Forest Minister, Ramesh

announced that the National Tiger Conservation Authority will be set up with

one regional office in Guwahati.

 

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*SOME MORE NEWS FROM ASSAM ON THE EVE OF THE MINISTER'S VISIT:*

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/596476_Ramesh-pulls-up-NHAI-for-slow-progress

 

Ramesh pulls up NHAI for slow progress

 

STAFF WRITER 18:21 HRS IST

 

*Nagaon

(Assam), Apr 5 (PTI)* Appalled by the slow progress of the four-lane highway

in Assam, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today said he would take

up the matter with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

 

The minister, who travelled on road to Kaziranga National Park, expressed

surprise at the " extremely slow pace of work. "

 

" I will take up the issue with the NHAI chairman who is scheduled to visit

the state on April eight, " Ramesh said after inaugurating the Nagaon Bamboo

Museum.

 

People were urged to establish cottage industries to produce bamboo products

for their economic uplift as the state had tremendous potential in bamboo

cultivation.

 

The Centre would take up the initiative to ensure that the products find a

proper market, he said.

 

The Union minister also announced that Rs 30 crore was earmarked for

development of the Kolong river in the state.

 

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http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article389104.ece

 

Kaziranga brought fresh hopes on tiger conservation: Ramesh

 

SUSHANTA TALUKDAR

 

<http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article389104.ece>

 

Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday said Kaziranga

has brought fresh hopes on tiger conservation in the country with the

National Park registering a density of about 30 tigers over 100 square

kilometres of the park, which he described to be the highest in the country.

 

After a field visit the Minister told journalists inside the world heritage

site, that such a high density indicate that Kaziranga with a total area of

more than 1000 square km area should have more than 100 tigers. Mr. Ramesh

said that figures of tiger census would be out in November. Assam Forest and

Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain accompanied Mr. Ramesh in field visit.

 

*Regional offices*

 

The Union Minister announced that four regional offices of the National

Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) would be opened in Bangalore, Nagpur,

Kolkata and Guwahati to spread out activities of NTCA to field areas and to

ensure that it did not remain Delhi-centric. The NTCA headquarters in Delhi

would also look after northern India.

 

Of the 39 project tiger areas in the country situation in nine are good, 12

are satisfactory while the scenario in 18 project tiger areas is precarious,

he said. Mr. Ramesh said tigers have become endangered but not extinct in

India. He said about 50 to 60 per cent of wild tiger population of the world

is found in India and this has been possible because of huge and sustained

efforts put under Project Tigers for conservation of the big cats.

 

Mr. Ramesh and Mr. Hussain were given a demonstration on how camera-trapping

method is used for tiger census by wildlife biologist Firoz Ahmed of

Aranyak, a society for biodiversity conservation, engaged in tiger census

operation. The Ministers and top forest officials witnessed fresh pug marks

of tigers inside the national park.

 

He said that if the State government wanted financial assistance to

Kaziranga to double, the Central government would meet the demand as the

barrier of treating Kaziranga as non-project tiger area broken.

 

Mr. Ramesh said that the Centre has offered Assam that whatever is required

for helping filed staff of Kaziranga like night vision devices and for

assistance for their mobility for instance, would be provided.

 

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