The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has put a spanner in Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's pet project—a lion safari in his father's home district, Etawah. The ministry has slapped the state government with a notice, asking it to halt construction work on the project immediately. The notice says the development work in the reserved Fisher Forest in Chambal area of Etawah is illegal because the Uttar Pradesh government has not taken permission from the ministry for it as required under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980.
The main objection raised by MoEF is that the state government is planning to use the forestland for commercial purposes by planning a lion safari in it. “Taking up non-forest activities, including constructing permanent structures, is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act. Besides, the working plan of the Etawah forest division up to 2015-16 has already been approved,” says the notice.
| Mulayam's dream project
Total area: 150 hectare
Estimated cost: Rs 35 crore
Money spent: Rs 4.1 crore.
What officials say now:
- Etawah is best suited for lion safari because of the region's geographical similarity to Gujarat's Gir forest
- As there is no zoo in western region of the state, lion safari in Etawah would help children learn about wildlife
What officials said during Mayawati regime
- Lion Safari is not feasible as there is no similarity between Etawah and Gir forest zone
- Bijnore and Saharanpur are part of elephant corridor, and so there is a need for setting up a lion reserve
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A thorny problem
sheesham
semu
bargad
peepal
Panthera leo persica)
Flip flop on project feasibility