India
Naturalists who had raised concerns regarding the extinction of the Girnari Giddh say the new ropeway leaves no hope for the birds.
Updated : Feb 08, 2011, 01:12 PM IST
“It was expected, but it has still come as a shock. There is no hope now for the 'Girnari Giddh' species; it will be extinct very soon," said, a wildlife conservationist Dinesh Goswami who was part of the team that had undertaken the vulture census in Girnar in 2010. He was referring to the ministry of environment and forests' green signal for the construction of ropeway in the Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Junagadh, the only home to Asiatic lions.
The sentiment angrily voiced by the activist of Kodinar-based
Prakruti Nature Club pretty much reflects the sentiment shared by most of the vulture conservationists across the board, including member of National Board for Wildlife in India (NBWLI), Divyabhanusinh Chavda. He was a part of the two-member committee who had visited the site last December.
In the report submitted by him, it had been categorically stated that the project has a possibility of leading to the local extinction of the 'Girnari Giddh,' a critically endangered species listed in Schedule I under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The report had advised against the construction of a ropeway.
Moreover, sources have indicated that the six conditions sought in principle approval are also not likely to be fulfilled. "This is the most viable route; the plan had been submitted after intense research. Realignment is not likely," the source said.
This apart, the political tug-of-war over claiming the credit over the sanctioning of the project is also intriguing. When Ramesh was here last month, Congress president Siddharth Patel had met him to make a presentation declaring Congress's support to the project. On Monday, as soon as news of the project clearance trickled in, Patel rushed to Delhi to claim credit.
"Local BJP and Congress politicians have cornered a lot of land around the hill. The land prices in the area have been rising since the last few months, and on Monday itself, it was heard that the prices skyrocketed anew," a source said.
Minstry of environment and forests conditions for ropeway approval