Centre seeks report on setting up task force to guard Aravallis
Force is supposed to patrol the forests and curb poaching
GURGAON: Alarmed over the alleged spike in incidents of poaching in the Aravallis, the Union ministry for environment, forest and climate change has asked the state government to send a status report on the formation of a special task force to step up vigil on the forest and curb such incidents.
Claiming a sharp upward spiral in poaching in the Aravallis, a team of environment activists met Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan on December 29 and urged him to act against poachers. In a subsequent meeting with state forest minister Rao Narbir Singh, they urged that the process of setting up the Aravalli task force be hastened.
In a letter dated January 4 and sent to the additional principal chief conservator of forest (central) and the principal chief conservator of forest, Haryana, Union ministry sought a status report on the task force. The letter was received on Thursday.
The letter states, “I am directed to forward herewith a copy of e-mail dated 02.01.2018 from Vaishali Rana Chandra, Gurgaon, Haryana, sent to the Director General of Forest and Special Secretary MoEF&CC ….and to request regional office Chandigarh and State Government of Haryana to examine the matter and to furnish a status report to this ministry at the earliest (sic).”
“We are in the process of forming a ground unit which will comprise people from nearby villages,” Vinod Kumar, conservator of wildlife, South Haryana, said. He added that the status report will be submitted in a week.
On December 8, a peacock was spotted with its feet caught in a metal trap near Tata Raisina Residency in the Aravallis.
CLAIMING AN UPWARD SPIRAL IN POACHING IN ARAVALLIS, A TEAM OF ENVIRONMENT ACTIVISTS MET UNION ENVIRONMENT MINISTER HARSH VARDHAN ON DECEMBER 29