Times of India: Nagpur: Thursday,
March 02, 2017.
The Wildlife
Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, and Maharashtra Forest Department (MFD) is
into a blame game over radio-collaring of missing tiger Jai.
In a new
twist, the WII has put onus of procuring radio-collars, their replacements,
warranty, costs and expenditure thereon on forest department, though the
collars were twice fitted to Jai by WII scientists.
In latest reply
received on February 22, to series of RTI queries on a second application filed
by RTI activist Avinash Prabhune, Nagpur, WII has informed that collars were
purchased by MFD and hence all details regarding expenditure and other issues
can be obtained from the MFD only.
The WII has
informed that first radio collar (No. 18855) was fitted on September 15, 2015.
It went silent on November 25, 2015 but MFD & WII did not replace the
collar for 114 days. The second collar (No. 19867) was fitted on March 18, 2016
after media raised the issue. This collar too failed on April 19, 2016 and
since then Jai is untraceable.
On this issue
WII says there is no failure of collars but there was technical snag in
satellite communication of Jai's first collar. As far second collar is
concerned, as the animal went missing from April 19, 2016, collar failure is
overruled.
WII has
informed that radio collars were purchased by the forest department and hence
communication with manufacturer for warranty and replacement was done by them.
All details regarding expenditure is also available with MFD.
Prabhune says
this is something shocking as when he filed first RTI on September 7, 2016 with
PCCF (wildlife) office regarding collar manufacturing firm, model, guarantee,
data on monitoring, expenditure etc, PCCF office only provided information
about number of collars, date of installation and removal. It said all other
information will be available with WII and not with the department.
"Now WII
has passed on the buck by stating details on cost and other issues is available
with the forest department. It is also not sharing data on Jai's movement as it
would expose laxities," alleged Prabhune.
WII has also
admitted that monitoring of collared tigers is a joint responsibility of WII
and MFD but is reluctant to share data on movement of Jai citing security
reasons.
Prabhune has
argued that what WII says is true, then why MFD did not supply information
against an earlier RTI application filed on September 7, last. The MFD had
asked him to seek information from WII.
"I will
file complaint under Section 18 of RTI Act against the forest department for
deliberately giving false information and wasting time by transferring my
application to WII," says Prabhune.
As WII did
not give satisfactory replies to the application transferred by the forest
department in October last, on January 29, 2017 Prabhune had filed a fresh
application seeking details on deployment of radio collars. However, WII has
now put the onus on MFD.
"It
appears that MFD & WII are deliberately denying information by shirking
responsibility on each other. It seems to be an attempt to cover up own
failures," alleged Prabhune.
The RTI
activists has urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and forest minister Sudhir
Mungantiwar to make hold officials accountable for the mess. Interestingly, in
the recent civic elections Shiv Sena had made Jai a poll issue.
.JPG)
.JPG)
