Rehabilitation programmes stalled owing to severe financial crunch

Left high and dry by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the State Forest department has been forced to approach the State government in the hopes of getting funds for rehabilitation projects under Project Tiger in Karnataka. The department, the nodal agency responsible for Project Tiger, claims it is in the throes of a financial crisis as it has suffered a poor flow of funds for rehabilitation projects aimed at reducing human presence in tiger habitats.

Medical staff accountability, statewide availability of case history to be ensured.

As many as 74,639 children in the State were identified as severely malnourished during health check-up camps conducted by the Health and Family Welfare department in July-August this year. The department has, however, no record to indicate the status of any of these children. To rectify this major flaw and to bring about accountability among the medical staff of the primary health centres (PHCs) and the nutritional rehabilitation centres (NRCs), the department is in the process of evolving a web-based application, which will help track and monitor the progress of children identified under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.

The Forest department, which has prepared draft charge sheets against nine of its officials for allowing alleged illegal quarrying in Kanakapura taluk as pointed out in the U V Singh report, has forwarded them to the State government to take suitable action.

Six years ago senior forest officer U V Singh submitted his report citing gross violations of the Forest Conservation Act and the Karnataka Forest Act in Kanakapura. But the government, for reasons best known to it, did not act against these officials, many of whom have occupied plum posts, while one of them has retired.

If you think you are consuming packaged water and thus you are safe, you may be wrong. The report card of the State Health Department on water samples shows that water could be substandard, even if it is stored in a sealed container.

Of the eight packaged drinking water samples analysed by the Public Health Institute of the department of Health and Family Welfare in June, seven (87.5 per cent) were found to be substandard and thus did not meet the prescribed specification of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Fragmented land holdings delay B’lore-Mysore line doubling work

Farmers of Indavalu village in Mandya district, who have put up maximum resistance to parting with their land for the ongoing Bangalore-Mysore rail line doubling project, are in a quandary. Indavalu, like the majority of rural India is gripped by the adverse implications of sub-division and fragmentation of its land holdings.

Says National Park area not to be expanded; no eviction of villagers

The State Forest department has once again mooted the proposal to get Kudremukh National Park (KNP) declared a Tiger Reserve, a status which has been withheld despite the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) giving its in-principle approval several months ago. Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, during the campaign for the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha byelection, had said the government would cancel the Tiger Reserve status enjoyed by Bhadra Tiger Reserve (BTR), besides dropping the proposal to get KNP declared a Tiger Reserve.

Forest dept fears the Western Ghats Ecology Authority infringes on its powers

The recommendation of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) for setting up the Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA) has not gone down well with the State Forest department.

Dandeli, Mookambika, Cauvery, Someshwara, BBP to be merged with forests
The State government has extended the boundaries of a national park and four wildlife sanctuaries.

The government on December 27, 2011, notified around 1,255.64 sq km of reserve forest land as national park and wildlife sanctuaries. As per the notification, the areas of four wildlife sanctuaries – Dandeli, Mookambika, Cauvery and Someshwara, and one national park – Bannerghatta, have been extended by amalgamating them with reserve forests, thereby bringing a larger area under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Says Union Forest Ministry can’t impose heritage tag on Western Ghats against govt’s wish

With barely 20 days left for India to resubmit its dossier to Unesco World Heritage Committee (WHC) for the serial nomination of the Western Ghats, Karnataka, as in the previous year, isn’t making the task any easier for the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Implementation of the hydro-electric project will help ease power situation in Karnataka

The time has come for power-starved Karnataka to make a tough call on implementing the long-pending 200-MW Gundia Hydro-Electric Project (GHEP) in Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts.