State govt sanctions Rs 351 crore to intensify conservation activities and tracking of Asiatic lions
The Gujarat government has decided to set up a hospital dedicated to lions in the Gir sanctuary after 17 big cats died of an attack of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) in October. The decision was taken at the State Wildlife Board meeting held on Tuesday in Gandhinagar in the presence of Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, said the minister for forests Ganpatsinh Vasava.
Vasava said, "The chief minister has given the nod for a hospital that will be built at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Besides this, we will start special ambulance services, much like 108, for lions and wild animals. The CM has sanctioned a total budget of Rs 351 crore for this which also includes installation of electronic eyes, drones and a CCTV camera network in the sanctuary area to keep watch on the movement of lions and humans in the forests."
"The CM has also directed us to develop five safari parks in other pockets of Gujarat so the inundation of tourists in the Gir sanctuary area can be controlled. He has advised developing the coastal line of Gujarat as a tourist circuit because of the plethora of wildlife there, so the tourists' flow can be diverted," Vasava added.
Big questions had been raised on the Gujarat government's capabilities to deal with circumstances such as the attack of CDV among lions in Dalkhaniya range when experts had to be called in from outside the state. The government will try to fill that vacuum by hiring experts for the hospital.
The additional chief secretary in the forests and environment department, Rajiv Kumar Gupta, said, "The hospital will be in Gir forest area and we are going to hire 120 well-trained and the expert staff there so that they can deal with all sorts of circumstances that arise in the future. There is also a provision of eight more rescue centres at an expense of Rs 85 crore."
The government, however, did not have satisfactory answers on permits from the forests and environment ministry of the central government to raise such facilities in the Gir sanctuary and forest areas.
The board also discussed the long-pending issue of permission for development works for laying fibre network, electric cable, road construction and other facilities in the forest areas of the state.
WHAT IS DECIDED FOR LIONS?
The decision was taken at the State Wildlife Board meeting
- Rs 100-cr – Veterinary hospital for lions
- New safari parks in the state including one in Gandhinagar
- Breeding centres in Gir for animals which are prey for lions
- 32 – Rapid response teams for emergency situations and communication network
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