Bamboo buffer for state’s greenery - High expenses prompt forest department to do away with iron fences

A.S.R.P. MUKESH

Bamboo gabions at JAP-I grounds in Doranda. Picture by Prashant Mitra Ranchi, Jan. 12: Iron fences protecting roadside trees will soon be replaced with cost-effective and environment-friendly bamboo gabions across the state. For the past year and a half, the forest department has been putting up these gabions in areas like Dipatoli cantonment, Kanke and Morabadi on a trial basis to check the concept’s feasibility. Ranchi divisional forest officer (DFO) Y.K. Das said last year, they had put up 3,000 bamboo gabions as part of the pilot project. “The success rate is over 80 per cent,” he added. “We were sceptical if these gabions would be able to bear the onslaught of rains. But no such problems came to the fore. Most importantly, there was the risk of the gabions being picked up by local residents and used as firewood in winter. But such incidents could be averted, as we had formed local-level vigilance teams to keep an eye on the gabions,” said Das. Now that the pilot project has been successful, the department is planning to do away with the iron fences. Besides the afforestation wing of the forest department, the territorial and social forestry departments have also been assigned the job to put up the gabions. This year, the social forestry department has a target of installing over 4,000 bamboo gabions in Ranchi alone. “Separate schemes are also being formulated for Khunti and Lohardaga that come under our jurisdiction,” said social forestry DFO Kali Kinker. The installation process is also expected to create job opportunities in rural areas, as the forest department will require labourers to construct the bamboo structures. It will also promote bamboo cultivation. According to officials, protecting the plants cost more than procuring saplings. “Each iron fence costs us anything between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000. They are frequently stolen because of their good resale value. Keeping a vigil round the year was an uphill task. In comparison, prices of bamboo gabions vary between Rs 500 and Rs 700 and we only need to maintain them during winter,” Kinker said. He added that the idea of introducing bamboo gabions was first mooted by chief secretary A.K. Singh two years ago, who was the forest secretary then. The Ranchi DFO said another reason behind opting for bamboo gabions was the problem of disposing of iron grills. “Once the tree grows, a separate scheme has to be approved for the tedious task of removing the iron fences from the sites. But in case of bamboo gabions, even if you don’t remove them, they automatically get disposed of in the soil,” he said. Check this link to view: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110113/jsp/jharkhand/story_13431856.jsp

Not tigers, but claims roar here

Big snub to big cat hub - Conservation benefits elude Palamau Tiger Reserve

A.S.R.P. MUKESH

Caption: Wild neglect: State sits on directive of nodal agency to set up foundation, misses on funds for tigers Ranchi, Dec. 17: Numerous roars, but not even a whimper of action. Jharkhand is a classic example of how government apathy and bureaucratic neglect are ruining Palamau Tiger Reserve. Under the Wildlife Protection Act, it is mandatory for all states with reserves to have a tiger conservation foundation, a conservation plan, a steering committee headed by the chief minister and buffer zones around each reserve to save tigers who stray out of forest. Jharkhand doesn’t have any of the above. Moreover, The Telegraph has learnt that despite several reminders from the Union ministry of forest and environment, the state government has, for two years, been simply sitting on directives from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to set up a tiger conservation foundation. A state foundation, according to project tiger/project elephant steering committee member D.S. Srivastava, facilitates management of reserves for tigers, conserves biodiversity and initiates ecological uplift by involving people. But most importantly, it removes bottlenecks in transfer of central funds to respective state reserves. “Such a state foundation is empowered to act as an autonomous body and minimise channels of funds flow so that the money meant for tigers can directly reach them. Ironically, no one is concerned about Palamau reserve, one of the oldest in the country,” rued Srivastava. According to NTCA deputy inspector-general of forests S.P. Yadav, under section 38X of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, amended in 2006, all state governments are required to establish reserve specific tiger conservation foundations. Following the central ministry mandate, almost every state has its conservation foundation, except Jharkhand. The lack of a foundation has cost the reserve dear in terms of funds. This year, the reserve is likely to lose a large share of funds out of the Rs 242.31 lakh sanction for 2010-11 from NTCA. According to the letter available with The Telegraph, this August, NTCA released its first installment of Rs 130.616 lakh to Jharkhand. But reserve officials said they did not get a single penny. “Not one, but several directives have been issued to Jharkhand in this regard. Since 2008, we have been writing to Jharkhand every six months but they have a single readymade answer — ‘it’s under process’,” Yadav told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi. Palamau Tiger Reserve director Paritosh Upadhyay said the department had submitted the proposal for the foundation to the government last year and they too were waiting for its clearance.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101024/jsp/frontpage/story_13093525.jsp


Wet spell may undo damage
A.S.R.P. MUKESH

Ranchi, Oct. 23: On its way out, the monsoon is trying to make up for its poor show with late bursts of showers that are proving to be beneficial for rabi and vegetable production in drought-hit Jharkhand.

So, if the rain deficit doomed kharif cultivation this year, agricultural experts believe the present showers in Ranchi and adjacent areas, coupled with the late rains of September, has led to ideal conditions for rabi and vegetable cultivation much before its usual schedule.

“There is moisture in soil due to late rains. Also, the temperature has dipped by a few centigrades as a result of which conditions have become ideal for wheat and vegetable cultivation,” said Sunil Kumar, director, agriculture.

Compared to last year, the agriculture department expects rabi cultivation to be spread over 5,10,000 hectare this year.

“Last year, it was 4.7 lakh hectare but this year we will cross the 5 lakh mark,” said Kumar, adding that his department had distributed rabi crop seeds to farmers across districts a month ago.

So far, Jharkhand has received 645mm rainfall against an average of 1,300 mm — a 43 per cent dip in rainfall this year during peak season.

But, now farmers can make up part of their losses by cultivating vegetables and rabi crops.

R.P. Singh, director, soil conservation agrees, saying that even if Jharkhand was experiencing drought, the state had some advantages compared to neighbouring Orissa and Bihar.

“The state supports vegetable cultivation throughout the year. Tomato, cauliflower, cabbage or potato are best suited for upland areas. Sarson (mustard), tomato, chana, matar if sown now, can help farmers battling drought,” said Singh.

Also, as opposed to paddy, rabi or vegetables required minimum investment.

According to a Birsa Agriculture University estimation, based on scientists’ field visits, this year, around 9 lakh hectare remained vacant out of 16.7 lakh hectare, against last year’s 7 lakh hectare.

“These are mostly farmers who banked on rice and other paddy crops and are now suffering due to scanty rainfall,” said B.N. Singh, director, research, BAU.

For rabi, especially wheat, sowing starts mid-October. And as rabi and vegetables need less water, experts expect a bumper harvest in the next two months.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101023/jsp/frontpage/story_13090473.jsp

Centre team aghast at Palamau neglect
A.S.R.P. MUKESH

Ranchi, Oct. 22: A national team visiting the Palamau Tiger Reserve has castigated Jharkhand for not being serious about its upkeep, citing stark mismanagement and a severe staff crunch as among the many testimonials to the indifference of successive state governments.

While senior officials of the reserve, including director Paritosh Upadhyay, cited delays in sanctioning funds as the primary reason for all problems, the team, constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India (NTCA), wasn’t impressed.

“Despite the problems and the hue and cry over financial delays, the lack of sincere attempts to conserve tigers in this region were highly evident,” opined R.L. Singh, the chief wildlife warden of Uttar Pradesh and chairman of the committee that is expected to be in the state till Sunday.

He said the core area of the Palamau reserve had substantial human habitation which was against the law. And although there were relocation plans, Singh maintained, the team found villagers to be unaware of the provisions that were supposed to be explained by the state government.

“We tried to ascertain if the villagers inside the reserve had been told about relocation and their packages. We found hardly anyone is aware about it. Also, we are planning to revise the present package of Rs 10 lakh per family to Rs 10 lakh per adult in the family,” Singh, a former PCCF, said.

The committee chairman pointed out that of 3,200 tigers in the world, India alone had around 1,500 big cats.

“So preserving them is our responsibility. However, there are serious apprehensions and questions about the management of the reserve (Palamau). That is the reason this independent committee has been set up,” he added.

Apart from Singh, the team comprises Prerna Singh Bindra, member national wildlife advisory board; R. Dogra of ICFRI, Dehradun; and K. Malkani of Wildlife Institute of India.

The team is expected to visit Chhattisgarh and Bihar after Jharkhand. It will prepare a comprehensive report by the end of the month and submit it to the ministry.

“The team inspected various planning processes undertaken at the reserve so far to evaluate its implementation and progress,” said Upadhyay, who accompanied the visitors along with S.K. Sharma, the chief conservator of forest, wildlife.

“Some issues like infrastructure and corridor linkages in adjoining forested areas will be the main focus of the visit,” he said, adding that the primary challenges facing the Palamau reserve were funds delays and acute shortage of manpower for maintenance.

“Due to late release of funds, activities like habitat improvement, fire protection, road repair and maintenance and improvement of waterholes, which are crucial for wildlife mpanagement, are not carried out properly,” explained Upadhyay.

A committee member was appalled at the level of state indifference. “Out of 95 vacancies there are only 19 people employed in the reserve. How can one expect to save tigers?” he asked.

Nature at work

When the oldest chruch call u

Historic lane

Turkman gate

Fast track

When will it flow to its glory again?

Over Rs 2,800 crore have been spent to clean it up but Yamuna is nowhere close to being the river again. The need of the hour is to take urgent measures devoid of politics and red tape or else we should be ready to write the river’s obituary.

To Read More, click on the link below.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/185168/Will-it-flow-to-its-glory-again.html