Meeting today, PM for relook at Act

The PMO is open to introducing amendments in the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, say sources, to make independent annual audit mandatory of every National Park and Reserve by outside experts to be picked in rotation from a panel prepared by the MoEF and approved by the National Board of Wildlife.

Singh has also taken note of the fact that every dead leopard or tiger is removed quickly by the forest department without proper investigation or post-mortem. Suitable amendments of the Wildlife Act is likely to be recommended to make post-mortem and enquiry mandatory for every death of a tiger, leopard, lion or elephant that occurs inside a National Park or Reserve.

The issue of splitting the MoEF in two ministries8212;one for Environment and another for Wildlife and Forest8212;would also come up.

Submitted by Board member Valmik Thapar in November last year, the issue was deleted by the Ministry officials from the agenda note prepared this February. Thapar received a letter from the MoEF on March 14 informing him that the ministry had dropped the point with the PM8217;s nod when the PMO had sent the MoEF a letter on March 11 asking to reinstate the issue.

8216;8216;That8217;s how MoEF works. I am delighted that the PM has intervened to include the issue in the agenda,8217;8217; says Thapar.

The PM, it is learnt, is also keen to set up special courts in Delhi and some other cities for speedy trial of wildlife crimes. Singh also wants the procedures for release of Project Tiger funds streamlined and greater accountability in proper utilisation of it. 8216;8216;For 1,567 tigers in Reserves, Rs 30.67 crore a year roughly works out to Rs 2 lakh per tiger. That8217;s a lot of money,8217;8217; say PMO sources.

The PMO has already instructed the MoEF to convene the Project Tiger Steering Committee before the end of this month.