Gujarat: 2 tourists among 6 fined for trespassing into reserved Gir forest area to watch lions
Amreli, Aug 27: Two tourists and four other persons have been fined a total of Rs 1.75 lakh for allegedly trespassing into a reserved Gir forest area to watch the Asiatic lions in their natural habitat in Gujarat's Amreli district, an official said on Sunday.
Of these six persons, three are locals and a hotelier who made arrangements for the tourists to watch lions after entering the restricted area of Sarasiya range forest without permission, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Gir East, Rajdeepsinh Zala said.
The incident came to light around three weeks back, following which three locals were caught for helping some tourists to enter the reserved forest area illegally, Zala said.
They were fined Rs 25,000 each for the offence of trespassing under provisions of the Indian Forest Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the official said.
Following the investigation, three more persons were nabbed and fined a total Rs 1 lakh for the offence, he said.
"These tourists entered the forest area with the help of locals to watch lions. We fined three persons around three weeks back, and further investigation led to three more persons who were part of the gang that entered the forest illegally," the official said.
"When we questioned the locals caught three weeks back, they revealed a tourist and commercial angle to the incident. This led us to two nab two tourists and a hotelier three days back and we fined them," he said, adding that more people are likely to be involved in the offence.
According to the 2020 census, there were 674 lions in Gujarat, a 29 per cent increase in its population compared to the 2015 census.
The state has a total of 206 lions, 309 lionesses, 130 cubs and 29 unidentified big cats, as per the 2020 census.
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Cong govt ended ‘darkness’ in 11 months of rule in T’gana: CM Revanth Reddy rebuts PM Modi's remark
Hyderabad (PTI): During the last 11 months, the Congress government in Telangana has reversed an air of gloom and despair under the previous BRS regime and ended the "darkness", Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Saturday.
He was responding to a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that under Congress rule developmental trajectory and fiscal health is turning from bad to worse in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.
“I am happy to clarify several misconceptions and factual errors in your statements about my state and our government," Reddy said in his post.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday in a series of posts said the Congress stands "badly exposed" in front of people for promising to them what the party knows it will never be able to deliver.
“Every promise made by us to people is a sacred commitment for us. In the last 11 months, we have reversed an air of gloom & despair under BRS, and ended the darkness. Like a morning sun, Telangana is now Rising,” Reddy said in the post addressed to Modi.
Within two days of taking charge, the Telangana government fulfilled its first and second promise - free bus travel for women across all government buses, and a healthcare and hospitalisation cover of 10 lakhs under Rajiv Aarogyasree, the CM pointed out.
Even before completion of first year of rule, the Congress government has implemented India's largest ever, state-level farmer loan waiver of Rs 18,000 crore covering over 22 lakh farmers, he said responding to PM’s comments that in Telangana, farmers are awaiting the (loan) waiver they were promised.
Women get free electricity, with no domestic power charge for their homes up to 200 units, Reddy noted.
The CM also claimed that his government has held the largest recruitment drive and is regularly holding exams of all levels and provided jobs to over 50,000 eligible youth, a record “unmatched by any BJP state government.”
The CM said the government is rejuvenating River Musi, which was allegedly neglected by the previous government and protecting lakes and other precious water bodies, encroached upon and destroyed wantonly with abandon in the last 10 years.
