Sunday, November 30, 2014

Tiger Expert Ullas Karanth in Pajero trouble

If you ever wondered why the Indian government has been skeptical about non-governmental organizations, you don’t have to beyond this story to clear your doubt. The facts are in black and white.
This is not an effort to paint all NGOs black. Some have done and continue to do remarkable work in their area of proficiency, be it health, education, conservation. But there is one particular NGO that has constantly been in the news for the good and wrong reasons.
You must have certainly read or heard about Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), the brainchild of Dr Ullas Karanth, a wildlife biologist. Ullas Karanth is a tiger specialist who has done laudable work. He was the first to radio collar tigers in India, specifically Karnataka.
It is a different story that the Karnataka government banned him from radio collaring tigers, after eight felines died in the process of understanding the nuance of radio-telemetry. Despite his uncanny ability to lobby with the political establishment, Ullas Karanth has had regular run-ins with the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD). They stare daggers at each other!
KFD had raised a clamor when it stumbled upon documents relating to CWS’ funding. The expose irrevocably damaged Ullas Karanth’s reputation. There has always been a niggling doubt about his genuine intent, a reason why many conservationists don’t see eye to eye with him.
The files that have appended with this story augment this suspicion. As you read through, you will understand that CWS was given complete customs exemption when Wildlife Conservation Society (New York) gifted a Mitsubishi Pajero to the Bangalore-based NGO.
 The adhoc exemption, made under special provision by the ministry of finance, was valid until 31st  January 1999. The conditions laid out clearly specify that the vehicle “shall be used only for the purpose for which it was imported.”
It also implies that “the vehicle cannot be sold, disposed of, gifted, loaned or parted away except as stated above without prior permission of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi.
An undertaking to this effect was given by the importer before the commissioner of customs concerned at the time of clearance of goods. “In the event of any default detected subsequent to the import, full duty will be leviable and penal action taken as per law.”
Contrary to the clauses drafted by the Ministry of Finance, Revenue Department (30th July 1998), Karanth has succeeded in transferring the vehicle to his personal name from Centre for Wildlife Studies.
Interestingly, Ullas Karanth, as managing trustee of CWS, has himself transferred the vehicle into his name. Intriguingly, the address provided by the CWS managing trustee and the beneficiary (Ullas Karanth) is the same. Perhaps, the RTO did the transfers without going through the documents of the imported vehicle.
Did the government give Ullas Karanth permission to transfer the customs duty-wavered imported vehicle in his name?

If Karanth has been given special exemption by the government to import and then transfer the vehicle in his name, then it has to give the same benefit to trustees of all other NGOs. If the government has not ceded clearance for such a transfer, then it has to take action.












Thursday, November 20, 2014

Coffee Estates in the midst of tiger habitat


Time’s up for Birla, TVS group

It is different strokes for different people. The poor and hapless are harassed and hounded out of their dwelling. But the rich and powerful are allowed to build posh bungalows. This is no exaggeration.












This story unfurls in the very heart of the Billigiriranga Swamy Temple (BRT) tiger reserve in Karnataka, India. The 542 sq km reserve is home to the critically endangered tiger. Leopards, wild dogs, bears, gaurs (Indian bison), elephants, spotted and barking deer thrive in this pristine habitat. It is also home to as many as 270 species of birds.

The flora is made up of mixed vegetation. The sound of rivulets, fed by shola forests, cascading down the valley is mesmerizing. If not for four coffee estates in the core area, BRT makes out to be a fairytale wildlife habitat. It is alluring at its best.

 Disturbingly, these estates are right in the midst of the elephant corridor, obstructing the movement of pachyderms into the adjacent forests of Tamil Nadu. Lack of palatable, nutritious vegetation has driven elephants into farm lands, leading to frequent man-animal conflict in the periphery of the reserve.

Worse, the estates store and use the water from the rivulets that flow through coffee plantations and release polluted water into the streams which are used by wildlife.

Tiger numbers have been increasing every year. The last count puts the figure at 56. That tigers have successfully bred in this fragmented habitat indicates that the numbers could increase if the undulating habitat is undisturbed.

To create an unflustered environment, the estates, which have trespassed 277 acres of leased forest land, should wind up forthwith. Despite defaulting on lease rent, they are not willing to cede ground. Instead, they are engaged in a legal battle with the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD).

Considering that the matter is in court, the KFD had in a last-ditch effort appealed to the estate owners to surrender the land in the interest of wildlife conservation. Though the letter (dated Sept 4, 2014), requesting them to join hands to conserve the pristine eco-system by keeping the habitat free of human interference, was sent to them during the first week of September 2014, the ‘land lords’ have failed to respond to this clarion call.

They are shy of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), though the land in question belongs to the government.

These estates are owned by some very big and successful industrialists who have contributed significantly to the country’s economy through their successful business enterprise.

Billigiri Rangan Coffee Estates (Bedaguli) and Nilgiri Plantation Ltd (Honnametti) are owned by the Kolkata-based Birla group. The Birla’s have given a Power of Attorney (PA) to B H Lakhani, who has been hauled up by the court for illegally felling trees and constructing a tank in the tiger reserve.

Emerald Haven Estates Limited (Beagle) belongs to the TVS group. Sangameshwara Coffee Estate (Attikan), which is located in revenue land abetting the tiger reserve, is owned by an industrialist from Mysore.

While at one extreme we plead with the powerful to save our eco-system, we are luring, also coercing, forest settlers (soligas) to relocate from the very mooring where their great, great grandfathers lived in harmony with the denizens of the forests.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has classified tiger reserves as critical wildlife habitats. Being inviolate areas there ought to be no human habitation. It is for this reason, over 1200 families have been displaced from the Bhadra and Bandipur tiger reserves.

But the Birla and TVS groups have scant regard for the NTCA guidelines. Going by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) diktat, all tiger states have declared eco-sensitive zones, which encompass the buffer zone.

Settlements have been razed in the fringe of the forest to implement the MoEF order. Resorts are being denied licenses to build permanent structures. Encroached forest land is being ruthlessly recovered in Karnataka and elsewhere.

But the Birla and TVS groups have scant regard for NTCA and MoEF regulations.

In gross violation, Emerald Haven Estates Ltd (TVS group) has built two expansive bungalows (pictures and video attached) in the very heart of the tiger country. It is in the process of completing another project. We found elephant foot prints barely five feet from this yet-to-be inaugurated
property.

Considering their wealth and status in society, they should voluntarily relinquish their estates for the goodness of wildlife conservation. Perhaps, someone should educate them that our eco-system will not be the same if the tiger goes extinct. Aren’t we already reeling under the impact of global warming?

As forest and wildlife buffs, let us beseech these business tycoons to surrender their leased land to the government. If they are responsible citizens, they will. Else, they will be consigned to Veerappan’s league.

Joseph Hoover
Senior Journalist/ Member, Karnataka State Wildlife Board

 Observations of the Karnataka Forest department:

1. The total extent of forest lease land is 277 Acres 31 Guntas and 450 yards. It falls within the core area of the Tiger Reserve.

2. Coffee estates are located in the evergreen shola forests, where major streams and nullahs originate. Many streams and nullahs pass through these coffee estates, where the water is stored and used for coffee pulping and processing. Further the contaminated water is released to the natural streams, which are used by the wild animals. This issue has been raised in Hon’ble Lok Adalath.

3. Breach of trust through their inequitable acts and deeds and misrepresentation of facts. As per the agreement if any disputes or differences arises on this account the decision of the Chief Conservator of Forests (General), now PCCF (HOFF) in Karnataka will be final. C:\Documents and Settings\System-1\Desktop\Estate Eng Ltr 25-6-14.doc- S2 Instead he has prejudiciously dragged the issue to the court by twisting the facts thereby he totally violated the agreement condition.

4. Disobedience of court order: There is standing order from the court in OS No. 21/95 to pay the outstanding due. The lessee M/s. Nilgiri Plantations, Honnametti, more particularly their authorized person and the power of attorney holder, Sri. B. H. Lakhani has not bothered to comply with the court orders till today, thereby he has deliberately caused contempt of the said court orders, which needs to be dealt in accordance of law.

5. Present lease holders are not paying the lease rent to the government as per the existing government orders, but are sending the lease rent as per the old agreement. The notice had been send from this office to lease holders questioning their legality of existence and to produce the original documents of Government orders and lease agreement. Till now they have not complied.

6. Niligiri Plantation Limited, though belonging to one of the big companies, namely Birla Groups, is playing a vacillating and indecisive role in making the payment of lease rent to government, thereby becoming a defaulter.

7. Involvement in forest offence case: The power of attorney holder of Biligiri Rangan Coffee Estate Sri. B. H. Lakhani was involved in forest offence case FOC No. 3/2006-07 dtd. 08-08-2006 and FOC No. 05/2006-07 dtd. 27-09-2006 for tress pass and illegal felling of large number of trees in the leased area without the permission of forest department. Further, he was involved in illegal construction of tank in the leased area, diversion of natural water sources, mixing of chemicals into free flowing drinking water in the streams and rivers and causing damage to animal and bird life. Sri. B. H. Lakhani has been prosecuted in JMFC, Kollegal vide CC No. 171 of 2007 dtd. 04-04-2007.

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