Monitoring by centralised authority main reason for success of Project Tiger, says SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday said one of the main reasons for the success of the tiger conservation project in the country is the continuous monitoring by a centralised authority.
The observation came from a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar which reserved its verdict in a matter concerning the protection of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
These critically endangered birds are particularly found in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and the alarming decrease in their numbers can be attributed to frequent collisions with overhead power transmission lines, including those of solar plants, near their habitats.
GIBs have lateral vision as their eyes are positioned on the sides of their head and they find it difficult to change their course of flight when confronted with a live wire.
During the arguments, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said the government is duty-bound to promote conservation.
"We have been pioneers in many projects saving species which have gone on the brink of extinction and are now thriving in our environs and in our sub-continent," Bhati said.
The bench referred to the success of Project Tiger, which was initiated in 1973 to save the big cats.
"One of the main reasons for its success is the centralised monitoring authority which has been established," the bench observed.
It inquired about the person in charge of the conservation of GIB. Bhati said no authority, like the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), has been set up for it.
She referred to the 'Project GIB' which is aimed at conservation of the remaining population of the critically endangered birds.
Bhati said that according to the updated affidavit filed in the matter, there are 68 GIB chicks in captivity today.
She said the apex court-appointed committee has submitted its report in the matter and the panel has completed the mandate given by the court.
The law officer referred to the top court's March 2024 verdict which had set up the expert committee.
The committee has submitted two reports, one each for Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The bench reserved its verdict in the matter and said the parties may file their written submissions within a week.
Observing that GIBs were an endangered species that requires urgent protection, the apex court in March last year formed an expert committee to suggest areas for underground laying of power transmission lines in priority and potential GIB habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The 2024 verdict noted that the total priority area was 13,663 sq km in both states whereas the total potential area was 80,680 sq km.
The verdict had further noted that in Rajasthan, 13,163 sq km was a priority area, 78,580 sq km was a potential area and 5,977 sq km was an additionally important area.
Similarly, for Gujarat, the verdict had noted 500 sq km was a priority area, 2,100 sq km was a potential area and 677 sq km was an additionally important area.
The apex court was hearing a PIL filed by retired IAS officer M K Ranjitsinh and others which said the birds were on the verge of extinction and the top court's 2021 order had not been complied with.
The top court, in its 2021 judgment on the PIL, passed a slew of directions to protect the birds.
It had earlier directed the Gujarat and Rajasthan governments to replace overhead electric cables with underground cables, wherever feasible, and install bird diverters in priority areas where the birds live.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
