Gandhinagar, 25 August 2014

NGOs and environmentalists will not allow any progress to take place in India very easily.

National Wildlife Board meeting held on 12-13 August in Delhi took up 140 projects for clearance. Among those projects cleared were hydroelectric power project over the Teesta river in Sikkim, some projects crucial for defense purpose and also some projects from Gujarat including Ghaduli-Santalpur highway and Narmada canal works. However today in response to a plea by so called “environmentalists” the court has asked not to implement any decision taken by the Wildlife Board till the next date of hearing – which is two weeks later.

Identified as “environmentalists”, some persons have objected central government’s decision to appoint three independent members in Wildlife Board — two of which are from Gujarat and one from Bangalore. “Environmentalists” are of opinion that as per the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the 47-member board has to include five members of green non-governmental organizations and 10 independent members — environmentalists, conservationists and ecologists.

P K Sen, former director of Project Tiger and Bittu Sahgal, a former board member are among those raising their voice against government’s move to make the wildlife body “toothless”.