Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development organises Two-day training workshop for Indian Forest Service Officers

Date: 9/27/2010

Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development organised Two-day training workshop for Indian Forest Service Officers on “Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Certification: Criteria and Indicators” at F-2 Block, MDP Conference Hall, Amity University Campus, Sector-125, Noida on 27-28th September, 2010.

Workshop was inaugurated by Dr. T.R. Manoharan, Head (Forest Programme), WWF-India, New Delhi, Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, Director, ASNR&SD.

Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, Director, Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development presented the welcome address and briefed the audience about the theme of the Training Workshop.

Inauguration was followed by technical sessions. During the first technical session Dr. T.R. Manoharan, Head (Forest Programme), WWF-India, New Delhi discussed about the case study - Forest Certification in Developing Countries. Mr. Samir Sinha, IFS, TRAFIC India, WWF India, New Delhi presented his thoughts on Legal Issues on International Trade of Forest Products.

During second technical session Dr. H.D. Kulkarni, Vice President (Plantation), ITC Ltd., Sarapaka, Andhra Pradesh shared his thought on Forest Certification – An Industry Experience. Dr. Prodyut Bhattacharya, Professor, IP University, Delhi talked on Criteria and Indicator for Sustainable Management of Forest: Bhopal India Process.

On second day two technical session were organised. During first technical session Mr. A.M. Singh, IFS, DIG, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi talked on Criteria and Indicator for Sustainable Forest Management – A Potential Tool for Forest Certification. Mr. Piare Lal, Chief Executive, Pragati Biotechnologies, Jalandhar, Punjab shared his thought on the topic Procurement Policies of Forest Based Industries: Its Linkages with Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest management. During second technical session Mr. A.K. Bansal, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Project Director, Orissa Forestry Sector Development Project, Bhubaneswar talked on Joint Forest Management plus – Sustainable Forest Management.

Technical session was followed by Panel Discussion. In this session Dr. J.C. Kala, Ex-Director General, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Member, National Environment Appellate Authority, New Delhi, Dr. V.K. Bahuguna, Member (Technical Expert – Forestry), National Rainfed Area Authority, New Delhi, Mr. Piare Lal, Chief Executive, Pragati Biotechnologies, Jalandhar, Punjab, Mr. A.K. Bansal, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Project Director, Orissa Forestry Sector Development Project, Bhubaneswar, Mr. A.M. Singh, IFS, DIG, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi, Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, IFS (Retd.), Director, Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Noida presented their thoughts.

Leonardo DiCaprio to save our tigers!

Leonardo DiCaprio to save Indian tigers! Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is all set to raise global awareness to save India’s tigers.A senior environment ministry told “The actor met the minister and has expressed his interest to play a crucial role in sensitizing the global community to the cause of the Indian tiger.”
An official stated “DiCaprio plans to come to India to be a part of the conservation efforts.” Megastar Amitabh Bachchan earlier this year joined a campaign to protect tigers.
2 years ago Prime Minister Manmohan Singh set up a national wildlife crime prevention bureau, drawing experts from environmental agencies, police and customs to end poaching.
Despite numerous measures, poachers have killed 32 tigers in 2009 and 3 in 2010 as stated by Wildlife Protection Society of India.

Nepal is epicentre of wildlife poaching

Rajendra S Markuna | Haldwani

With the neighbouring Nepal allegedly becoming the epicentre of a wildlife poaching syndicate the Uttarakhnad Government has sought the assistance of the Interpol to curb the menace.

"We are constantly in touch with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the Government of India to approach the Interpol, said the concerned sources.

The main concern is that since three most notorious poachers - Dariya, Sansar Chand and his brother Naryan Chand - are presently in Katni, Delhi and Alwar jails, yet the number of poaching of wild animals are on the rise.

"Only during the past few months about 29 leopard skins were seized," Anil Balooni, vice-chairman of Forest and Environment advisory committee, told The Pioneer.

He further informed that this was just the tip of the ice burg. Apart from leopard skins, seizure of tiger skins, parts of elephants, deer and other endangered species is not less alarming following their high demand in the international market.

The fact remains that despite a lot of enforcement network put in place, only about 5 per cent cases of wildlife poaching cases come to light, Balooni further informed.

Use of wildlife products is totally banned in our country. Even traditionally that is not allowed here while in other counties like China, Thailand, Singapore to name a few there is no such ban. So it has become a matter of serious concern for us in recent times, he maintained.

"Since we have very friendly relations with Nepal with an open border and unrestricted movements, this has only proved to be counterproductive for us as far as preservation of wildlife is concerned. Today it is believed that all major wildlife poachers are running their networks from Nepal. So we are in constant touch with the Government India to help us get the services of other agencies like Interpol and our own intelligence agencies, Balooni further informed.

Expressing concern over the increasing network of wildlife poachers, chief wildlife warden SK Chandola also echoed similar concerns saying they were in touch with the Government of India and WCCB to get the services of Interpol in this regard. "If need we won't be shy to take the assistance of the Interpol and other enforcement agencies," added Chandola.

Pillai publicly objects forest officials attending meetings held by Naxals

HOME secretary GK Pillai is back in action, with yet another explosive statement. He said some of the senior forest officials living in Naxal areas are attending meetings organized by banned Maoist outfits, in addition to not passing over information about happenings there, raising a serious security concern of the North Block.

Only recently, Pillai’s statement about ISI’s direct role in Mumbai attacks on the eve of India-Pakistan foreign minister level talks virtually derailed the process, leading foreign minister SM Krishna repeatedly mentioning about the ill-timing of his statement. But no one including the Pakistani side could afford to say that Pillai’s statement was wrong in content.

Now, addressing the 35 District Forest Officials (DFOs) from various Naxal-hit areas, Pillai said on Saturday that forest officers were not co-operating in providing information about Naxals’ grouping in jungles and collecting arms and ammunition. He further objected about forest officers’ attending meetings organized by banned Maoists groups. He even cited an example in which a forest official in July attended a meeting organised by the extremists at Sunabeda sanctuary in Orissa. What was further objectionable was that the said officer took his official vehicle to attend the meeting.

(In picture: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the Forest Service Officers from Naxal affected States, in New Delhi on August 06, 2010).

IFS and IPS officers get postings at HP Secretariat

Express News Service 

Taking a cue from some of the neighbouring states, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to post Indian Forest Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the Secretariat to handle jobs hitherto done by either IAS or senior Himachal Administrative Services (HAS) officers.
Earlier, IFS and IPS officers were posted only as managing directors or chief executive officers of state-owned public sector undertakings.
IFS officer B D Suyal has been posted as Special Secretary (Power), while Amitabh Gautam will be Special Secretary, Finance. Vineet Kumar is now the Managing Director of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.
The Himachal Forest Officers’ Welfare Association has thanked Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for the decision. In another decision, Inspector General of Police Atul Verma has been appointed Special Secretary, Home. The posting orders were issued on Wednesday evening.

Assam empowers Forest Department to use fire arms to protect its natural heritage

WTI-Guwahati (Assam), August 3, 2010: The Government of Assam has passed a notification to equip state Forest Department personnel with fire arms to ensure better protection to its forests and wildlife, particularly rhinos.

The order released by the Governor’s office, last month, indicates that the decision was taken to tackle mounting threats to forests and wildlife in protected areas and reserved forests. Its provisions apply to all forest officers from frontline staff to the seniormost members of the Department.     

Forest authorities have often argued that under-equipped frontline staff are at a disadvantage when fighting against organised poaching gangs. 

“We have been waiting for this order for a long time. When we approached the state Chief Minister Shri Tarun Gogoi and the state Forest Minister Shri Rockybul Hussain, they were very supportive and agreed on the need for this order, to help protect our wildlife,” said VK Bisnoi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (General) and Head of Forest Force, Government of Assam.

The order also provides immunity to forest officials from prosecution without prior sanction, in case of firing incidents. However, suspect firing incidents will be investigated upon through a Majesterial Enquiry, and criminal proceedings can be initiated against erring officials if the use of fire arms is proven as “unnecessary, unwarranted and excessive”.

Six years’ imprisonment and 50,000 rupees fine for Sansar Chand

New Delhi, August 25, 2010: Setting an unprecedented milestone in the history of wildlife crime cases in India, the notorious wildlife trader Sansar Chand was today sentenced to six years’ imprisonment - the maximum prison term mandated by the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act when Sansar was caught red-handed with a leopard skin in 1995.

Apprehended by a Delhi Police team from Sadar Bazar on July 17, 1995, Sansar Chand was also fined 50,000 rupees by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Special Acts) Dig Vinay Singh announcing the sentence at the Indian capital.

“We are absolutely thrilled about this development. This is the first instance that any individual has been awarded maximum sentence for wildlife crime in India. Although Indian wildlife laws are considered among the best in the region, very often they are not used to their full potential. This case has marked a beginning, and hopefully, will serve as a strong deterrant to wildlife crimes,” said Ashok Kumar, Vice-chairman, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

With the complaint filed by wildlife inspector VB Dasan, the case was scrupulously followed-up by the office of DM Shukla, Chief Wildlife Warden, Delhi. The prosecution was led by Atiq Ahmed, Prosecutor, Delhi Government, assisted by Saurabh Sharma, WTI lawyer.  

“While passing the sentence, the court said that such instances need to be dealt with iron hands. Sansar Chand can now appeal to the sessions court, challenging the judgment. We will continue our work to ensure that the judgment is upheld,” said Sharma.  

IBM Predictive Analytics Software Helps Marwell Wildlife Analyse Data to Improve Conservation Measures for Grevy’s Zebra

21 September 2010 21

Predictive analytics is playing a key role in the conservation of wildlife ~

LONDON — At the START Summit in London, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced how it is working with Marwell Wildlife, a conservation charity, to help secure a future for Grevy’s zebra, an endangered species with less than 2,500 individuals in the wild.
Predictive analytics is playing a key role in helping conserve wildlife in northern Kenya. Marwell Wildlife is conducting a survey on Grevy’s zebra where local nomadic herdsmen are interviewed about their attitudes towards the zebras, what they think the key threats facing them are and where they think they are within this large area. The herdsmen have very good knowledge about wildlife and interviewing them is a very efficient means of collecting information over this vast and inaccessible area.
Marwell Wildlife selected IBM predictive analytics software to help identify patterns and analyse data which will help inform decisions on conservation measures for Grevy’s zebra.
By improving Marwell’s insight into herders’ attitudes through the surveys, and combining this with information from aerial surveys, camera traps and radio collars on the zebras, Marwell now has a more detailed understanding of the issues surrounding the zebra and are therefore able to understand the main threats facing the species, which allows limited conservation resources to be focused towards these areas.
For example, one of the main reasons for hunting is to produce traditional medicines from the zebra’s body fat. If herding communities were able to access modern medicines then the need for hunting would be much reduced.
“The IBM predictive analytics software is critical in analysing the information we collect from the field. The data from the surveys is vast and complex and requires powerful software to analyse it. The software is ideal for identifying trends and patterns from this data,” said Dr. Guy Parker, Head of Biodiversity Management at Marwell Wildlife. “In the case of the recent interview survey, the software enabled us to determine peoples’ attitudes towards the Grevy’s zebra. Furthermore, we were able to determine what influence factors such as education level, age, location, and wildlife benefits had upon peoples’ attitudes. This is the kind of complex multi-variate analysis that the IBM predictive analytics software is designed to tackle.”
“The work at Marwell Wildlife takes the use of analytics to a whole new level,” said Colin Shearer, predictive analytics strategist at IBM. “It is great to see analytics play such a critical part towards the conservation of Wildlife.”
Dr. Guy Parker will explain the benefits of using predictive analytics to achieve sustainability of wildlife in his presentation ‘The Management of Information’, to take place on Wednesday September 15th from 14.45 – 15.30 during the START Summit. For more information, please visit:
http://www.ibm.com/uk/start.
This analytics solution is powered by IBM SPSS predictive analytics software.
Notes to Editors
For more information about Marwell Wildlife please contact Helen Jeffreys, PR Officer, Marwell Wildlife helenj@marwell.org.uk.
Marwell and partners surveyed the far north of Kenya at the beginning of 2010. Because the area was so difficult to survey, Marwell decided to interview local people. Pastoral communities live across the whole of northern Kenya and move their livestock with the rains. They know a great deal about the landscape and its wildlife. Therefore, talking to them is the most efficient means of collecting information.
More information on IBM Analytics
Today, IBM is working with more than 250,000 clients worldwide on analytics projects, including 22 of the top 24 global commercial banks, 18 of the world’s top 22 telecommunication carriers and 11 of the top 12 U.S. specialty retailers
In just four years, IBM has invested more than $11 billion, dedicated 6,000 business consultants and opened seven Analytics Centers of Excellence around the world to help clients uncover hidden insights within their data.
www.youtube.com/user/ibmbusinessanalytics (this link takes you to our analytics clients’ YouTube series).
To learn more about IBM business analytics please visit: www.ibm.com/gbs/bao.

India in Interpol’s wildlife group

The Statesman
NEW DELHI, 19 SEPT: The additional director in the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Ms Rina Mitra, would represent India for the first time as Secretary in the Interpol’s France-based Wildlife Crime Working Group. India was elected for the post during the five-day long 7th International Conference on Environment Crime at the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France, officials unwilling to be quoted on the matter said. The United Kingdom has been elected to the post of chairman. Ms Rina would serve in the post for a period of four years. There are 188 Interpol member countries in the Wildlife Crime Working Group. They work in accordance with the norms set by Environment Crime Committee. The task of the Committee is to identify emerging patterns and trends in the area of environment crime enforcement.

In USA-Forest Service officials object to wide loads

By  Eric Barker- Lewiston Tribune
LEWISTON — Supervisors of the Clearwater and Lolo national forests are worried mega-loads along U.S. Highway 12 in Idaho and Montana will make it difficult for the agency to carry out its mission and adversely affect public recreation.
In separate letters to the Idaho and Montana departments of transportation, Clearwater Supervisor Rick Brazell and Lolo Supervisor Deborah Austin said allowing the oversized loads of oil-processing and mining equipment could set a precedent that transforms the highway from a rural, scenic route to an industrial byway.
“Authorizing hundreds of oversized loads, now or in the future, jeopardizes the experience the traveling and recreating public will have along U.S. Highway 12 through the introduction of overtly industrial elements into the otherwise pastoral environment,” said Brazell in a Sept. 10 letter to Jim Carpenter, district engineer for the Idaho Transportation Department at Lewiston.
Both supervisors are concerned the slow-moving loads that will cause periodic closures of the highway could hamper public access to the forest, pose safety hazards, restrict tribal members from exercising treaty rights, alter natural views and disturb campers.
“The potential for disturbance to campers due to idling large trucks, flashing lights and/or long lines of vehicles passing these areas would be disruptive to campers and would take away from the natural setting of the national forest,” said Austin in a Sept. 8 letter to Doug Moeller, District 1 administrator of the Montana Department of Transportation at Missoula.
Oil companies ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil are seeking permits to use the highway to transport massive truckloads of equipment from the Port of Lewiston to central Montana and Alberta, Canada. The shipments are so large they would take up both lanes of the two-lane highway and require rolling roadblocks. Although they would travel only at night, the trucks would be required to park in turnouts during the day. Both supervisors said forest visitors use those turnouts for parking while fishing, hunting and cross-country skiing. They also said the roadblocks and traffic jams caused by the loads would make it difficult for Forest Service employees to access recreation sites and respond to emergencies such as wild fires.
In Idaho, the highway follows the Middle Fork Clearwater and Lochsa rivers, both designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The highway has also been designated an All American Road. Brazell said regular shipments of mega-loads along the highway are inconsistent with those designations.
“The experience people expect to find is a narrow, winding road with beautiful views of the Lochsa and Clearwater rivers, with roadside turnouts available for them to take it all in,” Brazell said. “This is the experience marketed by the ITD website and the Scenic Byway brochures and it is found in the Forest Service information as well.”
Both states have rights-of-way giving them authority over use of the highway as it passes through national forest land. Brazell and Austin both acknowledged they have little authority to prevent the shipments, but asked the state transportation officials to abide by agreements with the Forest Service and consider long-term effects of permitting the loads.
“I recognize I have no jurisdiction to stop these shipments but I do oppose the idea of allowing this precedent to be set,” Brazell said in his letter.
ConocoPhillips had hoped to begin shipping its four loads last month, but 2nd District Judge John Bradbury issued an injunction on permits issued by the Idaho Transportation Department. The company is appealing the ruling to the Idaho Supreme Court. ExxonMobil plans to haul about 200 loads along the highway. The first load could begin transport late this year.

A first: UP to get exclusive force to protect wildlife

Indian Express.com  Mon Sept20th
The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department will soon set up an armed force to tackle poachers and check the crime against wildlife in the state.
The Wildlife Protection Force (WPF) is being constituted on the guidelines of
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The personnel will be given training at par with the state police force.
Though the main focus of the security force will be to check crime against wildlife, particularly tiger poaching, it will also check crimes like illegal cutting of trees. The forest department has sent the proposal to state home department seeking training support, and as soon as the proposal is finalised the recruitment process will kick off, said a senior forest department official.
“Wildlife poaching is a major problem in UP. The tiger reserves of Dudhwa in Lakhimpur Kheri and Katarniya Ghat in Bahraich are under constant threat from poachers. After declaring the area as critical tiger habitat, this (forming a special force) is the second step we are taking for tackling wildlife crime and managing tiger conservation in the state,” Minister for Forests and Wildlife Fateh Bahadur Singh told The Indian Express. 
“They (personnel of Wildlife Protection Force) will be deployed across the Indo-Nepal border, apart from the two tiger reserves,” added the minister. This is for the first time that UP will have a special force designated for managing wildlife crime, and it is most likely to be operationalised within this financial year.
“Apart from regular police training, the personnel of WPF will be imparted knowledge wildlife Acts. Since the poachers use best equipment, they too will be given latest equipment like arms and ammunition, communication tools and satellite tracking devices. They will be given regular trainings for updating their skills,” said an official.

Govt rejects proposal to split Indian Forest Service

Terming wildlife and forest conservation as two sides of the same coin, the Environment Ministry has rejected a proposal to split the forest services into two services, with one looking after wildlife.

"Wildlife conservation has to take support from forest conservation only, so the two could not be separated. Hence a proposal to split the Indian Forest Services (IFS) into two have been shot down," Director General (Forest) Dileep Kumar said.


He was speaking at a meeting of the Field Directors of Tiger Reserves from different states, organised by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) here yesterday.

There had been constant demand from various NGOs to split the IFS into two services, claiming the move would ensure better management of wildlife and forest sector.

Kumar, however, made it clear that the government has no plans to do so, at least in the near future.

He also exhorted the field directors to develop wildlife management in a way which uses the stake of local communities.

"We have to be in touch with our people continuously, find ways not to create a sense of antagonism with local communities continuously. Forest department has a very characteristic way of functioning, as it is marked by high degree of isolation.

"This makes them highly dependent on local communities," the official pointed out.

He said as a small step in the direction of creating specialisation and expertise in the forest service, the ministry is planning to start three fellowships-- Hari Singh Fellowship for fresh officers, S K Fellowship and C. Ranganath Fellowship.

Kumar also pointed out that a total seven officers who passed out this year from IFS and have shown more than extraordinary interest and aptitude in wildlife, have been identified and selected for specialised training in wildlife management.

Lafarge cement plant plans in HP hit a green wall !

Lafarge's plan to set up INR 900 crore cement plant in Himachal has run into environmental trouble with the National Environmental Appellate Authority quashing the clearance granted to the project by environment ministry in June 2009.

The appellate authority has also taken the ministry and the expert appraisal committee to task for their incorrect assessment of the environmental and socio economic impact of the proposed plant. Just like the Bhavanapadu thermal plant near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, the environment ministry is expected to withdraw clearance for the Lafarge project.

The NEAA order quashing the clearance said Lafarge erroneously represented the mining area as uncultivable. Another reason cited by the authority is its close proximity 5 kilometer to the Majathal wildlife sanctuary.
The plant is bound to create disturbance for the animals. It also recognized local opposition, which is clear from the fact that only 16 of 381 landowners have given their consent to the project. The order is based on an independent assessment by the authority in June.

(Sourced from Economic Times)

MCT woes!- IFS officer misbehaves with a chinese woman in canada.

Jungle tales (Deccan Chronicle)
In recent months the government has made concerted efforts to focus on the long-ignored Indian Forest Service (IFS, including programmes to train forest babus, and sending mid-career officers abroad for study or research. But the government may not have envisioned the lurking perils. Reports about a Chinese woman who has complained of misbehaviour against a forest official from Madhya Pradesh attending a training programme in Canada cannot but cause concern in Delhi.

But apart from this aberration, the forest babus are feeling relieved that the government has decided, for now, not to set up separate departments for forests and wildlife as recommended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which would have split the service.

Petty misdemeanours?..WILDLIFE CRIME AND WOMEN by Maneka Gandhi

That poaching is an organised crime throughout India and not an impulse decision by some loafer who gets greedy is uncontestable. There are well defined gangs with their own territories. Vehicles, weapons and ammunition are in plenty. So is their protection from the local police who escort them to their destinations. They always have shrieky expensive lawyers , judges in the lower courts. Violence against law enforcement personnel is common . The markets are protected by local politicians and police and the Indian Forest service personnel who are probably the stupidest and most scared people in the country look the other way. In most cases they are not even considered worthy enough to bribe.

I was in Bareilly which forms part of my constituency Aonla, last week . On the way I received an SMS saying that if I was interested in stopping poachers from the jungles of Uttarakhand and Pilibhit/ Lakhimpur next door , I should pack up the huge bird markets in Bareilly. It gave me the details of the four biggest markets. As soon as I reached the Circuit House , I sent for the District Forest Officer, a plump pathetic obsequious creature typical of his tribe in Uttar Pradesh. Three predictable excuses: No birds are being sold; I have no place to keep confiscated birds; These poor people should be allowed to be criminals!! He came to life was when I told him I would ask the Crime Branch to investigate his assets since he was obviously involved with these criminals and scurried off with my team. In two hours they found 600 birds. How many people arrested ? None. Why not ? Because these were women. The women did not run away. On the contrary, they collected outside the police station and thumped their breasts and wailed till they were driven away. Imagine people being caught with stolen jewellery and TVs who collect before a police station to demand them back � and are driven away instead of being arrested !!!

In Amritsar recently , one of our Delhi socialites whose husband's family owns the biggest medicine empire was caught with a suitcase of Shahtoosh shawls which she was taking for sale to London. Since she is Sikh and wellconnected , she immediately called upon Punjab politicians to get her off the hook which they did. She does this regularly. So does the millionaire mother of the ex- high flying cricket entrepreneur. In fact most of the wildlife smuggling that is done by airline passengers is done by women. According to the research done by CITES, international organised gangs use persons of ' high political or social status' as their smugglers. CITES also says that the smugglers usually have previous convictions for other types of crime � both these women have been accused of crimes ranging from arson to insurance frauds and members of their family are regularly accused of tax fraud. Unfortunately they always get away and are welcomed back into the social circle. Thai Customs officials regularly catch high society women. Last month they caught two women dealers with ivory items worth millions disguised as toys and gifts. Last week a live tiger cub was found drugged and hidden among stuffed-tiger toys in the over sized luggage of a woman at Bangkok's airport. Delhi has a woman called Moti who sits in Jama Masjid and sells every known form of wildlife article from birds to tigers. We have had her arrested more than 30 times. She is out the next day on bail � beating even the record of the notorious tiger skin smuggler Sansar Chand who is represented by the best lawyers. Why is she released ? Because she is a woman. The fact that she is the face of a 300 member gang who bring in birds, snakes, cat claws, scorpions, mongooses etc is irrelevant. She has never even been interrogated so her gang roams free.

When I caught the monitor lizard oil dealers in Badaun it was the women who had brought the lizards in from Rajasthan. When I stopped the buses from Pilibhit to inspect the luggage on the roof, it was women bringing in birds to Delhi When we rounded the the bird catching Bahelias in Pilibhit , we found their women running dhabas using servants ( so much for how poor they are) and selling wild animal parts like leopardskins and live birds to truckers to take on to the cities.

In all the tribes that are doing nothing but poaching in India : the Bawarias who are move as a family and are organised big cat hunters who operate in and around wildlife sanctuaries, the nomadic Pardhiis, the Narikauravas of South India who steal squirrels and domestic cats as well, the Kela tribes of Orissa who poach monitor lizards and sell their skins to the music industry � the women are partners in crime. If you see women selling cheap jewellery in temporary shops anywhere near a forest or sanctuary, you can be sure this is a hunting party whose men are already in the kill zone laying out their traps. At midnight the women and children will move in, after the forest guards are drunk and asleep ( if they ever got up at all) and by late morning the animal is dead, skinned, the parts separated and the women and children are in the train to give them to the exporter who will send them on to China. These tribes kill leopards, bears and elephants for ivory, indulge in organised theft of railways and telecom properties, are into sandalwood smuggling while some do contract murders.

Women have long past the time when all they were caught for was prostitution or the murder of a spouse. Now, according to all studies on women criminals they are involved in everything from robberies to murder, drug smuggling ,bomb making and gun running, wood smuggling to wildlife crime. According to a report in Uttar Pradesh's prominent Hindi Daily 'Dainik Jagaran' on July 02,2009 'Zaraim Ki Duniya Mein Mahilayein Bhi Kam Nahi Hai' ( Women are as prominent in the world of crime ) female gangs operate in the trains by drugging railway passengers and then looting their possessions.

Police say that women voluntarily enter into crime for the money since most of them belong to families having a criminal background and find nothing wrong in their way of life. This, I have seen, applies to all the women in the wildlife trade. Most police people refuse to recognise women in the wildlife trade as criminals and so they are never arrested or, if arrested under pressure from people like me , they are never remanded to custody. Our police need to understand that these women are habitual offenders and if let off today, will be back selling birds on the street the next day. They should be arrested is because they will destroy the evidence and they will warn their men who are still free. They should be arrested because they will abscond
The police claim that arresting women is a nuisance as they bring their children with them, they have to all be fed, care has to be taken that female constables are around so that these women do not claim they have been raped, molested or abused. Searches of women can only be made by other women. Women police officers have to be associated where women are being arrested and no arrests of women between sunset and sunrise can be done. They have to be put in a separate lockup from the men. They have to be given free legal aid and a female requesting for medical help should be examined only by a female registered medical practitioner. They can only be interrogated by women.

So what ? None of this is impossible to do. The women should be interrogated as they are the key to all the gangs. Interrogation must be consistent with the recognised rights to life, dignity and right against torture and degrading treatment. The women must be produced before the appropriate court within 24 hours of the arrest. But that does not mean that the police do not ask for remand. Crime is crime � irrespective of gender.

When will wildlife crime become a law enforcement priority ?Banks and jewellery are covered by insurances and money stolen can be replaced. But once the leopard and owl is poached, it is gone forever. The illegal killing, the cross-border smuggling and the trade in natural resources bring profits that greatly exceed those acquired by criminals engaged in trafficking narcotics, humans or firearms. Every year, law enforcement officials combating such crimes lose their lives. Yet illegal activities targeting fauna and flora continue to be seen as petty misdemeanours.

To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in

FOREST HILL CASE-CBI refused sanction to prosecute KBS Sidhu ,IAS

CBI refused sanction to prosecute KBS Sidhu
Chitleen K Sethi
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 13
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, has refused sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute Punjab IAS officer KBS Sidhu.
Sidhu, who is currently posted as Principal Secretary, Finance, was along with two Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers among those booked by the CBI in April 2006 for their alleged involvement in the Forest Hill Resort case of 2004. It was found that Lt-Col BS Sandhu (retd) had built a resort on forest land in Karoran village in SAS Nagar after “procuring” approvals from these officers.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the CBI to investigate the matter. The CBI submitted the report to the high court in 2008 recommending the prosecution of Sandhu, JS Samundari, IFS, then Divisional Forest Officer, Ropar; Harsh Kumar, IFS, then Deputy Conservator of Forests, Planning and Investigation, Hoshiarpur; Sidhu, then Chief Administrator, PUDA; and Rajiv Bajaj, estate officer of the resort.
The CBI had, after investigation, demanded prosecution sanction from the Punjab Government for Sidhu and the two IFS officers. Giving the go-ahead to prosecute Harsh Kumar, the state government, however, refused prosecution sanction for Sidhu and Samundari.
In 2008 the CBI also moved the DoPT for sanction to prosecute the three officers, which was allowed for Samundari and Harsh Kumar (who are Indian Forest Service Officers). Sitting on the request for over two years the DoPT has now refused sanction for Sidhu’s prosecution.
Confirming this Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal said the Centre had informed the state about the refusal for sanction. He added that the Centre had in its communication to Punjab stated that the department had looked into the case and did not feel the need for the grant of sanction in this case.