Saving Gharod: Villagers ask Forest dept to remove encroachment near sanctuary in Kutch

Listed in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act,1972,the bird is classified as ‘endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List 2002. IUCN has warned that the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) will become extinct within a decade as only 500 as estimated to be left. It’s international trade and killing is prohibited,as it is listed in Appendix-I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Naliya village sarpanch Satish Thakker said: “The gharod needs no disturbance; we have requested the Forest Department officers and the Revenue authorities to stop the illegal encroachment. Around 200 acres,which was transferred to the Forest Department by the Revenue authorities,is illegally encroached for cotton farming. Nothing has been done so far to take action against the illegal farming.”

He added: “More than 150 representatives from Naliya,Jhakhau,Lala,Budiya,Kothara,Bhanala and Mokarsinhvaant visited the forest officers three days ago. They have asked for some more time to remove the illegal encroachments.”

M M Joshi of the Gauchar Jameen Bachav Samiti said: “More than 200 acres of grazing land is illegally occupied by the people. On top of it,even Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL) has given connections to these illegal establishments. I have written to the district authorities on this.”

Gharod is found in some parts of Rajasthan,Gujarat,Maharashtra,Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in India and Sindh in Pakistan.

The state Forest Department census of 2006 shows around 48 birds in the Kutch Bustard Sanctuary. But Bombay Nature History Society Director Asad Rahmani believes the number has gone below that.

Alike Project Tiger,Rahmani is also running a programme by the name of Project Bustard — supported by other international wildlife protection organisations.

He said: “BNHS has cautioned the IAF field near Naliya not to allow any encroachment 10 kilometres from the main airfield. But illegal establishments have come up and no action has been taken against the encroachers.”

He added: “Instead of putting money on petty issues,the forest officers and the state government should understand that the birds should be left alone. The government should try to develop establishments and also construct check dams. This species does not require much water to survive.”

He further said: “Previously,the grassland was announced as a sanctuary only to conserve the birds. The villagers are also ready to support the government initiative. But nothing is being done to remove the illegal encroachments or prevent new constructions from coming up here.”

Kutch District Collector M Thennarsan was unavailable for comments.

R L Meena,Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife),Kutch Circle,said: “The Forest Department has identified the problem and we will help the villagers figure out the encroached grazing land. The Forest Department requires some more time,but will take action as quickly as possible.”

Gujarat ranks 13th in implementation of Forest Land Rights Act
Gandhinagar: Gujarat ranks 13th in the implementation of the Forest Land Rights (FLR) Act in the country,the state government said during discussion on budget for the Tribal Development Department in the Assembly on Thursday.

In Gujarat,a total of 1.86 lakh applications for claiming land under the FLR Act were received during Gram Sabhas held across all districts,the government said.

Of the total applications received,14,562 were accepted,and 3,106 rejected due to various reasons. The applications accepted came to 7.8 per cent of the total received under the FLR Act as of February 2010.

Gujarat ranks 13th among the 17 states,where the FLR Act is implemented,while Andhra Pradesh tops the list with acceptance of over 53 per cent applications,followed by Tripura (51.45 per cent),Chandigarh (44.15 per cent),Orissa (37.35 per cent) and Rajasthan (23.83 per cent). —PTI