When grey suits came together to help stripes

The Indian Express , Friday, February 25, 2005
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
Mumbai, February 24: SARISKA’S missing stripes have the grey suits in Mumbai’s concrete jungle worried. In a first of sorts, stalwarts from India Inc came together on Thursday to announce their displeasure over the country’s fast-depleting forest resources, especially reports of the national animal’s falling numbers within tiger reserves, and to pledge their support to wildlife conservationists. Led by DSP Merrill Lynch Chairman Hemendra Kothari, who also promotes Wildlife Conservation Trust, the gathering had ‘‘support messages for the cause’’ from industrial bigwigs including Ratan Tata (Tata Group), Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries Ltd), Kumaramangalam Birla (A V Birla Group), K V Kamath (ICICI Bank), Deepak Parekh (HDFC Ltd), Adi Godrej (Godrej Soaps Pvt Ltd) etc. ‘‘If we don’t do something about saving our forests and tigers now, it’ll be too late,’’ the soft-spoken Kothari said at the press conference. Seated at his side, Tata Communication Services (TCS) Managing Director S Ramadorai added that nobody had the right to deplete natural resources and ‘‘stronger laws’’ were necessary to enforce their conservation. Lashing out against the growing threat from poaching—at $12 billion, this is the third largest illegal business after narcotics and arms smuggling—Kothari stressed the need for diplomatic channels with countries that use animal products, specially from the tiger, to stop the illegal trade. Better ammunition and working conditions for forest staff and the rehabilitation of the villagers within sanctuaries and parks—since they tend to suffer from lack of accessibility to their source of livelihood as the protected status imposes severe restrictions—was also on the mantle. Stressing heavily that the corporate world, through this effort, would support the conservationist work of organisations—government and non-government—Kothari said a future plan of action would be chalked out in subsequent meetings.
 
SOURCE : The Indian Express, Friday, February 25, 2005
 


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