Turtle conservation project in Kurukshetra village hangs fire

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, April 29

An ambitious project to conserve the natural habitat of endangered species of turtles at Thana village in the district has fallen prey to the bureaucratic obstructions.

On July 30, 2017, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had inaugurated the initiative aimed at participation of community members.

Khattar had announced a five-member panel that would be mandated for the conservation of a biodiversity hotspot around the ancient Brahamsar pond.

However, information gathered from various sources confirm that the state authorities have yet to notify the committee.

An official in the Forest Department said a list of the proposed members was submitted to the CM’s office in August last year. “But the state authorities have not given consent to the committee. As per rules, no work can be undertaken at the Thana community reserve without approval of the proposed committee,” he said.

Spread over 100 acres, the pond has a considerable population of softshell turtles that are on the ‘critically endangered’ red list of the International Union for Conversation (IUCN) of Nature.

The pond is also a natural habitat of flapshell turtle and various species of fish.

The Wildlife Department is yet to undertake census to determine the species of flora and fauna at the site.

Sources said the delay would impact the plan of giving a facelift to the population of migratory birds.

Sources said as the shallow section of the pond had dried up, it was an ideal time to desilt the lake and construct a boundary wall to check the movement of cattle and human movement in the water body area. Birdwatchers claim there was a considerable drop in the number of migratory birds this year.

Bureaucratic hurdle  

• On July 30, 2017, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had inaugurated a biodiversity hotspot aimed at participation of community members 
• He had announced a five-member panel that would be mandated to conserve the hotspot 
• A list of the proposed members was submitted to the CM’s office in August last year. But the state authorities have not given consent to the committee 

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2HD3ZBq