SOUTHERN BENCH OF NGT TAKES SUO MOTO COGNIZANCE OF DEATH OF PREGNANT ELEPHANT IN KERALA

The Southern Bench of NGT, Chennai on Friday took Suo Moto cognizance on the death of pregnant elephant in Kerala which has agitated the minds of the people all over the nation and as well as became viral in social media.

The Tribunal has been taken Suo Moto on the basis of the News item published in The New Indian Express dated 3/06/2020 under the caption “Kerala Elephant Tragedy: Another Jumbo suspected to have been killed in similar fashion”. The report says that a pregnant wild elephant in Silent Valley Forest had fallen victim to an act of human being using explosive substance kept in a Pineapple and which resulted in the death of the pregnant elephant.

The Bench comprising of Justice K. Ramakrishnan and Saibal Dasgupta, said that the instant Suo Moto case been registered for the purpose of taking an effort to avoid such things in future and also for providing some long term strategy to minimize man-animal conflict in wild life area or fringe village adjoining the forest area.

The NGT has appointed a joint committee comprising of a Senior Officer not below the rank of Chief Conservator of Forest deputed by the principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife, Chief Wild Life Warden, Kerala, a Senior Officer from Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Southern Zone, wild Life Warden of Silent Valley Division and Divisional Forest Officer of Mannarkkad and Punalur and the District Collector, Palakad to go in to the question and submit a factual and action taken report including the long term management plan to avoid such recurrences in future.

The NGT has also directed the committee to submit a report on  Schemes of government which are taken to avoid such tragedies in one month time. The Tribunal has also sought suggestions and recommendations, so that the Tribunal can give certain directions to the Government to implement the same in its letter and spirit to avoid such things in future.

Now, the NGT will heard the case on 10th July, 2020.

By Shubhi Singhal of LCD