Tiger deaths at M.M. Hills: DCF and two officers suspended
The three officers are Deputy Conservator of Forests Chakrapani Y., Assistant Conservator of Forests Gajanana Hegde of M.M. Hills Wildlife Division, and Range Forest Officer-cum-Surveyor Madesh.
On June 30, the three officers were sent on compulsory leave until further notice.
The Minister, who received and reviewed the preliminary report of the high-level inquiry committee headed by Additional Chief Principal Conservator of Forests Kumar Pushkar, made this recommendation to suspend the trio to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms.
A Forest Department order, which had asked the three officers to go on leave, had said that non-payment of salary and allowances to the frontline outsourced staff had hampered the patrolling in the area where the death of the five tigers occurred.
According to a statement from Mr. Khadre, though money was released by April-end to pay the salary and allowances to the frontline outsourced staff, not paying them till June is a dereliction of duty on the part of the Deputy Conservator of Forests, which has caused setbacks in the patrol work.
The outsourced staff had protested on June 23 over not being paid since March.
'It is apparent that the frontline staff was evading duty due to non-payment of salary on time,' Mr. Khadre said.
According to the preliminary investigation report, the cause of death of the 11-year-old tiger and her four cubs, aged 10 to 11 months, was due to a chemical compound sprayed on the carcass of a cow that was attacked and killed by a tiger.
'It is observed that for an area of 147.99 sq. km, we have only seven posts of beat forester filled against the sanctioned strength of 21, and only one forest watcher post is filled against the sanctioned strength of seven. There is a serious shortage of frontline staff to carry out protection duties effectively. Based on the above facts, the frontline staff cannot be blamed for negligence or failure in their duty, leading to the death of five tigers. However, a detailed analysis of M-STRIPES and patrol data will give a clearer picture of the regularity of patrolling,' the preliminary report stated.
Forest officials have arrested three persons who were allegedly directly involved in the case.
Mr. Khandre said the officers have completely failed to monitor and have shown negligence in their basic duty of forest protection.
Apart from suspending the three officers, he also instructed the authorities to conduct a departmental inquiry. Mr. Khandre has also directed that the final report of the committee be submitted by July 10.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Bengali citizens harassed during drive to identify illegal migrants: CPI(M) leaders write to Shah
New Delhi, CPI leaders Brinda Karat and Anurag Saxena on Friday wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah, and said they have received several complaints of "harassment of genuine citizens" during the ongoing exercise for "identification of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants" on grounds that they speak Bengali. Bengali citizens harassed during drive to identify illegal migrants: CPI(M) leaders write to Shah In a letter addressed to the home minister, the CPI leaders said they heard complaints of human rights violations, harassment and extortion. Karat, a former MP and special invitee to CPI Politburo, and Saxena, Delhi state secretary of the party, said they, along with a team, visited Delhi's Bawana JJ colony and met several of the complainants. "We were shocked to find blatant violation of minimum human rights, harassment and in some cases, corruption amounting to extortion," the CPI leaders alleged. They noted that the exercise was being carried out by Delhi Police and several other agencies under directions from the Union Home Ministry. Listing out the cases, they gave cited the story of one Md Nizamuddin who said he was from Godda district, Jharkhand, and had migrated to Delhi several decades ago. "He was allotted a plot by DDA in 2004 in Bawana JJ colony and presently resides there. On July 5, a team of police personnel from the local thana went to his house and accused him of helping a Bangladeshi to get illegal papers. "He explained to the police that the tenant was staying there three years ago and he had no contact and had no idea of the person's whereabouts," the CPI leaders said. They said he was taken to the police station again on July 6, and also allegedly beaten up. While he was released later, the CPI leaders said they were told photographs of the family had been uploaded on a police site. "All such photos should be deleted from police records as the family are bonafide Indian citizens who have committed no crime. Also, action should be taken against those who beat Nizamuddin in custody," they said. The letter also gave the example of one Sajan Saudagar Das from the jhuggi settlement in Bawana C block, who was picked up by the police on May 6 and taken to Pritampura thana. The CPI leaders alleged he was badly beaten by two policemen who abused him saying that he should "confess" that he was a Bangladeshi. They added that the police later said he was picked up "by mistake", and had picked him up as they received information that he was speaking in Bengali, the CPI leaders said. Another example cited by the leaders mentioned three women aged between 60 and 70 years who came to India as children, got married and have families here. The letter also gave examples from Vivekanand camp in Chanakyapuri, where they alleged police took away ID documents from Bengalis and were returned later after intervention by some activists. "The process of identification of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in the capital of India is an example of violation of minimum human rights. In the process, genuine Indian citizens are being targeted on grounds of language and religion. Is it now a crime in India to speak Bengali?" the CPI leaders questioned. "Further, are all Bengali speaking Muslim citizens of India to be treated as criminals and illegal immigrants? We would like to remind you that 26 per cent of the population of West Bengal are Bengali speaking Muslims." they said. The CPI leaders also said there are international norms for deportation of illegal immigrants. "The present methods of identification in Delhi violate all such norms," they added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Activist on loo protest mock-hangs self, detained
Mumbai: A Powai-based activist, Tabrez Ali Sayed, staged a dramatic protest by mock hanging himself at to highlight the state of 16 public toilets in the area, which are used by a population of over 2,000 locals. "The public toilet block at Morarji Nagar near IT Aurum Park consists of 16 toilet cubicles or units, used by a over 2,000 daily. These toilets are in a very shabby condition with irregular water supply, broken tiles, and a reeking septic tank that desperately needs renovation," said Sayed, unit secretary of CPI (M). He added, "For the past two years, we wrote to BMC's S ward to renovate this toilet block, but no progress was made despite filing an RTI with the S ward office. After my mock hanging 'Phansi Do Toilet Lo' (Hang yourself to get a toilet), some civic work began at the site." You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The police detained Sayed on Thursday and released him with a warning. Sayed, also an active 'Save Aarey Forest' eco-warrior, was earlier externed from the region by the local police. BMC engineer of S ward, Adinath Vanawe, said, "The toilet block at could not be renovated earlier due to road repair work... we have now started renovation."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
UK police arrest four over cyberattacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Four people under 21 have been arrested as part of a police investigation into cyberattacks that disrupted the operations of UK retailers Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods, Britain's National Crime Agency said on ransomware attack on M&S , one of the best known names in British business, was the most serious, forcing it to suspend online clothing shopping for nearly seven weeks and costing it about 300 million pounds ($400 million) in operating NCA said males aged 19, 19 and 17 and a 20-year-old woman had been detained in the English West Midlands and London on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences, blackmail, money laundering and participating in organised crime All were arrested at home, had their electronic devices seized, and were being questioned by the NCA's National Cyber Crime Tuesday, M&S Chairman Archie Norman told lawmakers the retailer had been in contact with the US FBI over the said "loosely aligned parties" had worked together under the suspected leadership of a group known as said British businesses should be legally required to report material cyberattacks, alleging that two recent major attacks on large UK firms had gone unreported.M&S resumed taking online orders for clothing lines on June 10 after a 46-day suspension but is yet to restore click-and-collect week, CEO Stuart Machin told investors the group would be over the worst of the fallout by August.
