The Hindu : Bill providing for stringent Wildlife Act to be taken up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 08, 2002

National

National

Bill providing for stringent Wildlife Act to be taken up

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 7. The legislative bill proposed by the Union Environment Ministry to make the Wildlife Protection Act more stringent is likely to be taken up for consideration in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The main highlight of the bill is that it seeks to drastically enhance the period of imprisonment for offences against wildlife and for alternation of the boundary of national parks and sanctuaries from the present minimum of one year to three years and is extendable up to seven years.

In addition, it seeks to treat hardcore criminals, who had already been convicted in the past for heinous wildlife crimes, on a par with offenders under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and provides for forfeiture of their properties.

The Bill also provides for the Wildlife Board, the highest-level agency for taking various decisions on wildlife protection and conservation, to be made a statutory body. At present, though headed by the Prime Minister himself, it is not a statutory body.

The name of the Board is also to be changed as the National Board for Wildlife from the present Indian Board for Wildlife. As a corollary, the State-level Boards would also be renamed as State Wildlife Boards and would be made as statutory bodies.

Besides, the Bill seeks to prohibit transfer of wildlife products, and acquisition of wild animals, animal articles and trophies, except by way of inheritance.

In order to improve the mechanism for intelligence gathering in wildlife crimes, the reward for informers is to be increased from existing 20 per cent of the fine and the composition money to 50 per cent.

In another major change, the Bill, once passed, would also create two new categories of protected areas — conservation reserve, including the land owned by Central or State Governments, and community reserve belonging to community or individuals.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National