Chandigarh May 25: Wildlife experts on Thursday alleged that the government had gone “soft” on the sugar mill owners as they had not been booked for destroying the natural habitat of birds at Harike Sanctuary, but were fined just “for discharging injurious substances to riverwater”.
Though action in both cases is taken under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, punishment for harming a bird sanctuary is stringent.
Following the spill of molasses in the Beas, the contaminated water had also entered the bird sanctuary at Harike Wetland, which is a protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The experts said this amounted to violation of Sections 29 and 32 of the Act and the owners or management should have been issued a challan for destroying habitat inside the sanctuary. Section 32 bans use of any injurious substances inside the sanctuary. “No person shall use in a sanctuary, chemicals, explosives or any other substance which may cause injury to or endanger any wildlife,” the Section states. Similarly Section 29 prohibits destruction, exploitation or removal any wildlife from a sanctuary, or destroy or damage or divert the habitat of any wild animal.
According to fishery experts, contaminated water besides killing fish, also killed mollusca, which falls in Schedule IV of the Act. “It is an established fact that the contaminated water has destroyed the feed base of the birds, which amounts to destroying their natural habitat,” said Ludhiana-based Sanjeev Jain, a former member of the Punjab State Board for Wildlife. He said the owners should have been booked for releasing injurious substance in sanctuary.
Gurmeet Singh, former state Chief Wildlife Warden, said: “I have served the Punjab’s Wildlife Department for 38 years and I have never seen such toxicants entering the bird sanctuary. I wonder why the department didn’t challan them for throwing poisonous substance in the sanctuary.”
Chief Wildlife Warden Kuldip Kumar said the first challan was issued at Kiri Afghana because it was the first point where molasses entered the river. He admitted that the contaminated water entered the bird sanctuary also. When asked why action was not taken against mill owners on this account, he said: “The department is still assessing the loss in the bird sanctuary. If we find any loss there, we will take action.”
Source Tribune India
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