Lion panel against bypassing people’s sentiments

AHMEDABAD: A parliamentary committee, which is visiting Gir for two days from Tuesday, believes that translocating lions from Gujarat should not be done overruling sentiments of local people in Saurashtra, who have helped to conserve the Asiatic lions in their last abode.
The members of the 31-member science and technology and environment and forests committee, headed by Renuka Chowdhury, Congress Rajya Sabha member, strongly believes that lions were well conserved in Gujarat and their population was also increasing.
Sources said that members who had attended the meeting on Tuesday had told them informally that the committee may recommend that the lion translocation project to Kuno-Palpur should be reconsidered keeping in view sentiments of the local people and opposition from Gujarat forest department.
Officials of the forest department said that the committee was also shown on map, how the areas where lion have made their permanent habitat are far away from the main Gir Sanctuary, and even in the outbreak of any epidemic, there is no fear of the entire population getting affected.
Members of an NGO who were part of the meeting said that they were told not to talk to the media and keep the proceedings of the meeting a secret.
However, sources said that during the meeting, the committee also expressed its displeasure over the move to reduce the eco-sensitive zone from 17 km to just 0.5 km. The members said that this was not warranted.
A member of the committee, who himself was a politician, said that the officials should draw a line when it comes to demands of politicians who are acting under pressure from those involved in mining and hotel business. The officials were told that permitting mining in the area would lead to deaths and accidents involving lions and would prove to be disastrous to their conservation.
The committee also sought to learn from locals about the disposal of the garbage and waste. Members of the NGO suggested to the committee that the National Highway Authority of India should be instructed not to widen roads passing through the sanctuary and cut more trees.