Susan Welcome to IWC CHAT "Enforcement of Wildlife Act and the Common Man"

shivani hi, how r u?

Susan GREAT to see you Shivani

shivani its great to b able to finally b online

Susan Ritwick is logging in soon. I just spoke to him

Susan I am sorry we could not implement our bird watching trip. But we will soon

shivani i hav spoken with richa and jo they wud b free by the end of this month

shivani wat is the new thing about blog on ur site

Susan Blog or weblog is just like keeping a diary on the net- writing things which you would like to share with others.

Susan All members of IWC can write and upload - We have suggested some topics but you can choose your topic too.

shivani that means i can write about any thing about enviornment

Susan Welcome Rossi

Rossi hello

shivani hi rossi

Rossi so where's the lawyer guy?

Susan Ritwick is logging in- He just reached home from work , he said on 'phone

Rossi hello shivani

Susan Hello 1811

1811 thanks

shivani hi 1811

1811 This is first time I am entering a chat room. Please excuse any shortfall in manners.

shivani wat in ur opinion is the best way to implement these laws,susan

Rossi gtg

Susan Implementaion is the major problem we face. To start with awareness is imp.

1811 is gtg, get going

shivani y is that people settle in or around sanctuaries inspite of knowing the threat they face from wildlife

Susan Do not worry, ask your questions 1811

Susan Bahar is attending a conference in Gujrat. She may log in later

Susan In her absence, Ritwick can field the questions about community reserves

shivani we r aware of these laws yet we cant stop anyone from breaking these.y is no power given to people who work with ngos so they can come forward .

Susan That is an interesting thought, Shivani

shivani like u mentioned about the poster u gave to a local school.these little things can make major differences

Ritwick Hello to All !!

Susan There is need for greater participation betn NGOs and wildlife experts, lawyers etc

Ritwick Sorry for the dealay...have just come back from court

Ritwick question time starts now

Susan            Rossi shoot your questions now that the Lawyer is here

shivani              how as members can we do something about implementing the laws

Ritwick there are many ways one can implement the laws......but the most important is the fact that one should first know what the law is

Ritwick any specific question

shivani            so tell us more

Ritwick like are all aware of the schedules in the WPA

1811   with the example of Okhla Bird Park

Susan   What is the law regarding community reserves in a nutshell?

shivani    wat r those?

Ritwick First see the WPA and find out what are applicable..for example hunting is prohibited...but hunting is a wide term and includes even chasing an animal

Ritwick similarly wildlife is not just wild animals as is conventionally thought of but also includes nests

Susan      Is Okhla Bird Sanctuary legally recognized?

Ritwick Also the WPA is applicable across the country and not just in National Parks and forests but your very own home

Ritwick yes...Okhla bird sanctuary is notified under Section 18 of the WPA

Ritwick I am currently pursuing a case on the OKHLa bird sanctuary

Ritwick This iinvolves the illegal grant of fishing contract and construction of cemetries in the Sanctuary

shivani        recently i read about migratory birds being killed near higher areas of ganga as bharatpur is facing water crunch

shivani      i hav to go know.it was nice chatting with u guys.bye everyone.

Ritwick This is completely illegal and is prohibited under section 9 of the WPA

1811 Bharatpur is also suffering from feral animals being let into the park. Ritwick is there a law under which the officers adminsitering can be prosecuted for dereliction of duty

Ritwick Yes the officers can be prosecuted, but then it should be clear that reasonable care was not taken

1811 how do we go about determining that they took reasonable care

Ritwick this depends on various factors....eg who is responsible for the lack of care...thus in the case of bharatpur it is not the forest department that is responsible but the irrigation department which does not release the required quantity of water

susan Is cutting of grass by communities living around permitted in bird snctuaries

Ritwick so long as cuting grass is outside is permissible but not within the Sanctuary as per the order of the Supreme Court on 14-2-2000

susan does the sanctuary have grass outside? what is defined as outside/?

susan Ritwick can you send me a brief write up on the amendments in common man'slanguage?

susan next month shall we discuss community reserves hope Bahar will also be available then

Ritwick grass outside is permissible for extraction

Ritwick but not a blade from inside

susan look fwd to getting a brief write up from you soon

Ritwick fine

susan if there are no more questions shall we call it a day?

susan Thank you Ritwick and thank you all</