Supreme Court considering report on elephant corridors

The Supreme Court is considering a report led by its
to direct States through which elephant corridors run to submit voluntary relocation/ rehabilitation plans for people who live in these eco-sensitive zones.
A.D.N. Rao has submitted that in case this option is not feasible, the States should take steps
to “acquire and secure” these zones by using funds, including the Compensatory Aorestation Fund.
The States in question include Uttarakhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Kerala,
Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu which has already notied the corridor for elephants in
the Nilgiris in August 2010. These are States which have signicant elephant population
amicus curiae Amicus curiae
and need unhindered passage for their movement. In Tamil Nadu, a report submitted by the
Nilgiris Collector in the apex court in August 2018 revealed that 821 buildings, constructions,
occupancies had encroached on the notied corridor.
Linking habitats
Many included the houses of auent persons. They have been demolished. All except one
building out of 39 resorts within the corridor were found to be illegal and closed down. The
amicus was responding to petitions led by advocate Elephant G. Rajendran and activists urging the court to intervene and direct the States to acquire the critical elephant corridors to ensure safe passage for the pachyderms.
A report by the Ministry of Environment and Forests titled ‘Gajah – Securing the Future for
Elephants in India’ in 2010 said long-term conservation of elephants could be done only by
linking their fragmented habitats.
The has asked the court to order the States concerned to submit proposals to the MoEF so that
critical corridors could be notied as eco-sensitive zones. Mr. Rao recommended the court to
direct the States to include the management of the corridors in the Working Plan of the Territorial Forest Divisions or in the Management Plans of the Protected Areas and Tiger Reserves.

Finally, the asked the court to direct the States and the Centre to ensure that activities in the
corridors be rst referred to the Forest Advisory Committee and Standing Committee of the
National Board for Wildlife for approval.
amicus amicus

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu/20190323/281663961350409