Utkarsh Anand : New Delhi, Wed Sep 19 2012, 06:02 hrs
Four months ago, the court stayed proposed move to get cheetah from Namibia
Asserting that an opinion of the National Board for Wildlife was
only “advisory” in nature and “not mandatory,” the Centre on Tuesday
urged the Supreme Court to lift its four-month-old stay on
implementation of the Cheetah Reintroduction Programme, through which
the Ministry of Environment and Forests sought to get the feline from
Africa.
In an affidavit filed in pursuant to the court’s May 8 stay
order, the MoEF has refuted the proposition that the NBW’s opinion was a
legal requirement — one of the prime contentions that had led the court
order. “The NBW is primarily an advisory body to the Government of
India on matters relating to wildlife, as mandated under the Wildlife
(Protection) Act. Section 5C or any other provision of the Act does not
make the opinion of the NBW mandatory for the government to take a
considered decision on management and conservation of wildlife based on
scientific information,” stated the affidavit.
It added that the proposal regarding reintroduction of cheetah
was placed before the NBW in March 2010 and none of its members had
raised any objection to it nor had they sought a discussion during the
subsequent meetings.
A Forest Bench had restrained the government from going ahead
with its project following objections over lack of positive opinion from
the NBW, expected expenditure, prey base, and other aspects relating to
the feasibility study.
The issue of relocating cheetah from Namibia came up during a
hearing on reintroduction of Asiatic lions from Gujarat’s Gir National
Park to Kuno Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. The affidavit, submitted by
government’s counsel S W A Qadri has sought permission to reintroduce
the extinct species in its historical range, claiming cheetah and lions
have historical coexistence in the proposed area.
“It will be ensured that the cheetah reintroduction in Kuno would
in no way be allowed to delay and affect the lion reintroduction
therein,” the MoEF undertook.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/centre-seeks-supreme-court-nod-to-bring-cheetah/1004766/0
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