Spot the tiger... aboard a chopper !

The Stateman , Sunday, April 10, 2011
Correspondent :
SIR, ~ After independence, Jim Corbett, the great humanist and hunter, had appealed to Jawaharlal Nehru to ensure the protection of tigers against indiscriminate hunting. Unfortunately this appeal was not received very kindly by the Prime Minister. Later, Corbett lamented that politicians are indifferent in this respect because tigers do not have voting power.

Sadly, even 63 years after independence, the authorities have not changed their attitude towards tigers. I thank The Statesman for its editorial “Tigers and Choppers” (16 March). It has exposed the foolishness of the state tourism department for planning to introduce a helicopter safari over Corbett Park. The project, which is geared to attract affluent tourists, will not be viable because of the thick forest cover. On the contrary, the whirr of the helicopter will frighten the animals.

It is very distressing that we are more interested in destroying the rich flora and fauna of the jungles than to save it. The authorities have been ineffective against poachers who kill tigers, rhinos and other animals.

The beautiful, elegant and sporting cheetah, which once adorned the Indian jungles so to speak, is extinct. We further assist the poachers by not equipping the protector of forests with proper and adequate arms and manpower as well as legislative authority.

No action for that matter is taken against the smugglers who chop trees, thereby destroying the forest cover. Again we fuel the fire by introducing the Forest Rights Act, which empowers the people living in the fringe area of the jungles to cut down trees and reduce the forest cover. In other words, we are doing everything under the sun to annihilate animals by depriving them of forest cover.

The hunting of tigers continued unabated till 1970 when Indira Gandhi, as Prime Minister, stopped the practice. The estimated 2000 tigers at that point in time has now dwindled to 1400. The number is gradually diminishing by human encroachment and unbridled poaching.

Sariskha, Panna and Palamau have lost their tigers. There are 66 national parks and 421 wildlife sanctuaries. It is feared that 50 per cent of the forests do not have tigers. But during my stay in Madhya Pradesh in the Fifties, I had the opportunity to see tigers even during the day. Seminars and conferences will not save the tiger. A pragmatic policy, backed by concerted effort, is required. It will be a great shame if we fail to protect this most beautiful creature of the forest.

yours, etc., am sinha, kolkata, 28 march.

Origins of SFI

SIR, ~ This is with reference to the letters “Memories of Hindu Hostel” (31 March) by Debaki Nandan Mondal and “Naxalites and Presidency” (5 April) by Dipak Basu. The Students’ Federation of India was formed at the Trivandrum conference in 1970.

The CPI-M was formed in 1964 following a split in the Communist Party of India. Between 1964 and 1970, the CPI-M’s student front functioned as the Bangiyo Pradeshik Chhatra Federation. The official existence of SFI during 1956-58, when Mr Mondal was an undergraduate student of Presidency College, is, therefore, unlikely.

Mr Basu writes: “There was no SFI in Presidency for some years after 1966-67”. Technically speaking, as SFI was formed in 1970, there could not have been such an organisation between 1966 and 1970.

yours, etc., biplab guha ray, kandi (murshidabad), 7 april.

Trivia and heresy

SIR, ~ Joseph Lelyveld in his controversial book Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India has denigrated Mahatma Gandhi. There are several Western writers who present inaccurate facts. They are also engaged in misinterpretation.

This is done to increase the sale of the books. India’s traditional values are thereby undermined. Their writings verge on yellow journalism. Of authoritative integrity there is none. Their books are not rooted in reality. It bears recall that in 2004 another American writer, James Laine in his book Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India had denigrated Shivaji’s father. Trivia and heresy cannot tarnish the image of our national heroes.

yours, etc., asok kumar bhattacharya, kolkata, 5 april.

 
SOURCE : http://thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=365388&catid=38
 


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