“We are disappointed and disillusioned by the manner in which the NBWL is functioning, and are seriously concerned that despite the productive meeting chaired by you, there has been virtually no progress on the important decisions,” their latest letter to the Prime Minister said.

“Since these key decisions are not being followed, the independent members of the National Board for Wildlife will not participate in any fresh decisions till the old ones are followed. This kind of attitude is not only harming the tiger but also other Indian wildlife”, said Dr Bibabh Talukdar, a Standing Committee member after attending Tuesday’s meeting.

“The minutes of the meetings are not being taken down. There was also a decision to include more independent members in the Standing Committee, but that has been disregarded too,” says Belinda Wright, an eminent conservationist who is part of the NBWL.

“The Standing Committee has been relegated to a clearing house for issues like de-notifications. The tiger crisis needs to be looked into, but there has been absolutely no response from the Ministry of Environment and Forests,” Wright said.