MP HC seeks Union, State govt reply on tiger’s decline
6/25/2009
The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the state and Union Government to submit a detailed report on the protection of the tigers and other wildlife animals facing extinction.
The court also directed to take action in compliance of the Central Steering Committee and the state Steering Committee constituted under the provision of the Wildlife Protection Act within four weeks.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Anang Kumar Patnaik and Justice Ajeet Singh issued these directives while hearing the Public Interest Litigation petition of Navneet Kabra, challenging the state’s inaction for not taking suitable measures to protect the wildlife animals, including the tiger breed, reducing their number from 710 tigers in forest and five national tiger sanctuaries to half.
The affidavit of the state’s Chief Wildlife Director was taken on record and four weeks time to the Union and state government to file their fresh reply in the matter was granted.
Petitioners counsel Aditya Sanghi said that in four National Tiger Reserves, the tiger population gradually reduced to half as per the 2006 census.
Mr Sanghi submitted that the Prime Minister is the head of the Wildlife Protection Steering Committee and had issued directives to all the chief secretaries and State Chief Ministers to implement the provision of the Section 38 of the Wildlife Protection Act to which the state government has failed so far.
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