Coal cos asked to fund wildlife management

TALCHER: In view of large-scale destruction of forest cover due to coal mining, the Forest Department has sought around Rs 7.17 crore from various coal mining authorities for wildlife management plan.
The money has been levied at the rate of Rs 20,000 per hectare. According to information received by a wildlife activists and lawyer Bauri Bandhu Bez from Angul forest division office under RTI Act after the money collected from coal authorities will be spent on development of wild animals in nearby Kanheijena reserve forest and other adjoining forest areas.
There has been depletion of huge forest cover like dense Rakus forest at Talcher for coal mining where wild animals inhabit. Now they have migrated to nearby jungles like Kanheijena at Samal area near here, Bez bemoaned.
Coal mines against which the money has been charged are Natraj, Jagannath, Ananta, N Adira and Bhubaneswari.

Link - http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa...nt/167656.html

This is a move in the right direction. However more needs to be done.

How did they arrive at the figure of twenty five thousand per hectare?

Twenty thousand rupees for developing one hectare is a very small sum. Anyone who has experience of trying to recreate wilderness areas can vouch for that. It is not easy to regenerate the native vegetation fast. If the top soil has been removed, then there is no chance of regeneration. Often regeneration takes 4-5 years.

One can try making the soil conducive and then sowing seeds, replanting etc. The mining has devastated the areas. The heat is unbearable. I am not sure, the soil would be conducive now. It would need immense efforts to recreate the forests.

The minimum thing that the forest department can do is make those areas inviolate, stop people and cattle entering into those areas. Recreate waterbodies. Bring in top soil from similar places....it is a lot of work.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

I totally agree. Even if you say to make those areas inviolate, and stop people and cattle from entering will need lot of work. That will require gaurds or fencing which will prevent the cattle from grazing. I doubt if 20,000 rs will be sufficient to sustain that effort.
Monitoring the activites there, to see if really any work is being done, is required.

The mining companies should not take for granted that they can payout a penny in guise of protection and bag more mining orders.

Once tampered ecosystems take numerous years for regeneration.

However, the money channeled should be effectively utilized.

TFS.