NEW DELHI, May 12 – Concerned over the increasing assault on wildlife and forest wealth, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as head of National Board for Wildlife, has decided to set up ‘Wildlife Crime Bureau’ on the lines of the highly successful ‘Narcotics Control Bureau’, reports PTI. This was told to a Supreme Court Bench comprising justices YK Sabharwal, Arijit Pasayat and SH Kapadia by Solicitor General GE Vahanvati even as the Court directed CBI to inquire into a recent case relating to seizure of 43 leopard skins in Delhi.
It asked the CBI to “unravel the main persons behind the illegal trade in animal skins” and submit a report within three months on the April six seizure of animal skins by Police.
The Court said that most of the time it was the carriers of the skins or the agents of the mastermind behind the illegal trade who are caught, resulting in unabated poaching of animals driving many of them to the edge of extinction.
On the setting up of the Wildlife Crime Bureau, Vahanvati said “Ministry of Environment and Forests has taken proactive steps in regard to stop poaching and a proposal for creating a ‘Wildlife Crime Bureau’ on the lines of ‘Narcotics Bureau’ has already been approved by the National Board for Wildlife headed by Prime Minister.”
The PM had recently asked CBI to probe reports of there being no tigers in the Sariska National Park, a tiger reserve. The agency confirmed the worst fears. The Court has issued notice to Centre on an application by environmentalist Ashok Kumar seeking similar probe into the affairs at all project tiger reserves.
