New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has warned the Government against encouraging the sale and purchase of captive elephants and recommended the need to strike a careful balance between tradition and conservation.
Headed by former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, the committee, in its report on the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021, said it is "deeply conscious" of the fact that a number of religious and cultural institutions in some states own elephants which play a crucial role in daily worship and rituals. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, specifically prohibits trade in wild animals including captive and wild elephants. Under sections 40 and 43 of the law, transfer, acquiring and receiving of a live captive elephant is permissible only with the prior approval of the chief wildlife warden. However, such transfer, acquisition and receiving of an elephant should not involve any commercial transaction.
The panel said that it is in "broad agreement" with the amendments proposed for the improved care for seized and surrendered wild animals.
The panel also said that “Non-official members should also be part of the state wildlife board committee proposed to assess infrastructure projects in and around protected areas.'' The standing committee of the state board for wildlife, if formed, should be represented by several non-official members — at least three wildlife institutions and the director of the Wildlife Institute of India or his/her nominee, the panel said in its 254-page report.
It highlighted several concerns regarding the legislation and urged the Union environment ministry to consider the recommendations of scientists and conservationists mentioned in the report. The wildlife bill was introduced in LS by Union Env Min Bhupender Yadav in December last year. However, soon after its introduction, several wildlife and legal experts criticised some of the clauses in the Bill. , citing several loopholes that could be exploited and saying they were counterintuitive to the objectives of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
On the Government proposal to set up a standing committee of the state board for wildlife (SBWL), to be headed by its vice-chairperson, a post to be held by the state’s forest minister, and should not have more than 10 members nominated by the panel chief, the Parliamentary committee said that “If a standing committee of SBWL is formed, then it must have as its members at least one-third non-official members, at least three institutional members (like the National Tiger Conservation Authority), and the director of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) or their nominee.”
This should also be the quorum for the standing committee of the national board for wildlife, which gives a final nod to projects, the report added. (Agencies)
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