New Delhi, 23 July 2013

Ministry of forest and environment (Moef), Government of India has constituted a 12-member committee chaired by Moef’s additional director general (ADG) Wildlife to decide final course of action to shift lions from Gir in Gujarat to Palpur-Kuno wildlife sanctuary in Sheopur district of the state.The committee will hold its first meeting in New Delhi on July 29, sources said.

The committee has been constituted in compliance with the April 15 order of Supreme Court which directed Gujarat to translocate lions to Palpur-Kuno wildlife sanctuary in Sheopur district of the state. In May, Gujarat had filed a review petition against this order citing that court was misguided by MP government. While the petition is yet to be admitted in the court, MP forest department shot off a communication to the centre for compliance of the apex court’s order. The committee is mandated to advice on the number of lions to be trabnslocated, provide technical guidance to both the states, select individual animals, monitor implementation plan of reintroduction and submit progress report to the Moef. Members will identify lions and number of prides to be shifted to MP, besides discussing a strategy to monitor research and track their movements continuously.

The committee members include chief wildlife wardens (CWW) of MP and Gujarat – Narendra Kumar and C N Pandey, respectively, member secretary National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Wildlife Institute of India ( WII), and other wildlife experts Dr AJP Johnsingh, YB Jhala, Dr Ravi Chellam, PR Sinha and NK Ranjeet Singh. This committee can also co-opt more experts for the proceedings, he added.