Tuesday February 5 2008 00:00 IST
PTI
GUWAHATI: With cases of poaching in Assam's sanctuaries and national parks on the rise, a wildlife NGO on Monday alleged a nexus between poachers and some forest department personnel and also demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
"A large share of wildlife parts sold in the international market every year comes from the forest department stock due to manipulations and corrupt practices of some of their officials," Nature's Beckon director Soumyadeep Datta said.
"The information we received from Assam's principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) under RTI Act, establishes the fact that wildlife parts somehow or the other reach international traders," he claimed. Chief conservator of forest, M C Malakar, allegedly sent a delayed reply to the environment activists.
Datta quoted Malakar as saying that he could not "Furnish the information within the stipulated time as data was not available in this office and had to be collected from different offices of the state".
"If the chief wildlife warden of Assam has no account of the total number of rhino horns, elephant tusks, tiger and leopard pelts in his office then how will he monitor and stop poaching?" Datta questioned.
He also demanded that the government order a CBI inquiry on the stock of wild parts in custody of the forest department and on poaching of rhinos, elephants, tigers and leopards.
Source: http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20080204081106&Page=P&Title=Nation&Topic=0
1 comment:
India had a vast area under forests before independence but now it has been decimated. It is because of our Governments' myopic plannings and policies of no use, that we are left with a little wildlife. Not only lions but all animals and birds in this country have suffered. And we all know India is infested with corruption in every possible field and MOST CORRUPT people are found under the roof of parliament. Your concerns are praiseworthy but LET ME SAY 'THERE IS NO HOPE IN THIS COUNTRY' for such efforts.
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