Supplementary affidavit soon on Sigur elephant corridor

October 17, 2012 01:11 am | Updated October 18, 2016 02:05 pm IST - CHENNAI:

A herd of elephants a the Sigur reserve forest in the Nilgiris. Photo: K. Ananthan

A herd of elephants a the Sigur reserve forest in the Nilgiris. Photo: K. Ananthan

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is coming up with a supplementary affidavit in the Supreme Court containing the views of the non-official members of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) on Sigur Elephant Corridor in Nilgiris Biosphere.

“The supplementary affidavit is being filed as the MoEF’s earlier affidavit did not contain the views of the non-official members. The Supreme Court had sought the suggestions of NBWL late last year. This was discussed in three meetings ending in last December but only after standing committee’s 25 meeting in June, we were given the MoEF’s report filed in the Court,” said a member of the committee.

When the non-official members asked how the MoEF could file a report on behalf of NBWL without informing the members, the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests said they were welcome to give their suggestions/opinions and if agreed, an additional affidavit containing their views could be filed before the Supreme Court, said sources in the committee.

“In September, a draft supplementary affidavit was circulated among the non-official members. Every one of us has given our suggestion. The supplementary affidavit will be filed soon,” said a member of the NBWL standing committee based in Karnataka.

“The non-official members of the committee are for the corridor,” said A.J.T. John Singh, a member. In fact, the team’s unanimous decision, concurring with the report, identifying areas for the corridor by the Expert Committee constituted by the Madras High Court, would strongly back the State’s efforts to secure this critical elephant corridor connecting the Western and Eastern Ghats.

Backing the State Forest Department’s report, the non-official members are in favour of the Sigur Elephant Corridor in Nilgiris biosphere for a year now. This team comprising Dr. M.K. Ranjitsinh, Dr. Divyabhanusinh Chavda, Dr. John Singh, Dr. Shankar Raman, Prerna Bindra, Dr. Asad Rahmani and Kishor Rithe had signed and submitted a memorandum to Union Minister Jayanthi Natarajan early this year.

“The fresh submission was required as the MoEF was trying to constitute another committee to review the report,” said a member. Despite their opposition, the MoEF did constitute another committee which was dissolved by a court order within a week of its constitution early this February.

The State government had initiated the process of acquisition of land for the Sigur elephant corridor a few years ago. The Madras High Court, considering a PIL regarding illegal occupations on the corridor, upheld the declaration of the notification of expanded elephant corridor of 4,225 acres. The High Court order was based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee constituted by it and directed the resort owners and other private land owners to vacate and hand over the vacant possession of the lands, falling within the corridor, to the Nilgiris District Collector. This decision has been challenged through a number of SLPs filed in the SC.

While unanimously concurring with the identified areas of the Expert Committee for the corridor, the NBWL members say the creation of the corridor was something the government and stakeholders have to work out based on court orders.

Mr. John Singh, who had worked extensively in the area in the 1970s itself, said the valley between the foothills and Vibhoodhimalai was full of resorts and asked the Minister to pay a visit. Mr. Rithe said the practice of declaring the reserve forests with wildlife potential as corridors or protected areas in Maharashtra should be adopted by other States. The non-official members are of the opinion that the violators, mostly resorts, should be evicted from the corridor.

Activists working in Nilgiris biosphere say that the support of the non-official members of the NBWL Standing Committee, eventually, will help the State in securing this most critical corridor that will bring substantial benefits to the conservation of the Asian Elephants and other wildlife in a crucial conservation landscape.

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