August 2, 2022
Saugata Roy’s speech on Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021
Sir, I rise to speak on this Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill. The Bill had already gone to the Standing
Committee, and the Report was submitted in April this year.This is a very comprehensive omnibus Bill with almost 150 pages. I do not know but if this Bill could be subsumed into the Biodiversity Act, it would have been better because in one Bill, we could have covered the whole problems of biodiversity. Why two Bills are there, I am not sure. The Bill seeks to create a Management Authority and a Scientific Authority. My fear is that two more top heavy organisations are being made. In our country, for anything, we make a new organisation and then, we appoint
certain people. Certain people are favoured. But actually, the problem is not solved. I would submit to the hon. Minister that this is not the way to protect wild life. We have the Arabari Model in West Bengal which is taught to the
environment students all over the country where the ideal villages and forest officers’ committee is formed. That has helped in preventing felling of trees, and also damage to the human habitation.Now, Sir, I seek the protection of the hon. Minister because in our State, the problem is not that men are killing animals. In other States, yes, there are
problems. There was one Sansar Chand, who made the whole Sariska Forest without any tiger. The whole tiger population was killed off. There are similar Sansar Chands like there was earlier Veerappan in Karnataka who killed off so many elephants for their tusks We, in West Bengal, are under attack. Pratima Mondal is here. In her Constituency, every year, 50 to 100 people are injured, and at least 10 people killed by man-eating tigers in the Sundarbans.Previously also, I had mentioned about the Sundarbans, but the Government has not announced any comprehensive policy on the lost mangrove forest of this sanctuary. Destruction of mangroves will lead to storms, and will ultimately touch the city of Kolkata. One needs to read Amitav Gosh to understand what is happening in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve.Sir, today, I must thank, in retrospect, late Shrimati Indira Gandhi. She was the firstperson, who conceived the ‘Project Tiger’, and because of her, the tigers got saved. I must also remember Salim Ali, the ornithologist who gave Indian birds a definition. But saying all this, I want to ask the hon. Minister directly what is he doing to prevent people from being killed by man-eating tigers in the Sundarbans. Mr. Chairman, Sir, you come from Ooty. You know, in Mudumalai, all these elephants are going around. If you go on the road from Ooty to Mysore, on the way, you would see so many elephants. But in your State, I do not know, how much damage they do. In West Bengal they descend from the Dalma Hills near Jamshedpur. Every year, they are entering the habitation areas. Once, they get some alcohol, that is, mahua which is kept by tribals, they go mad, and destroy property and kill human beings. Similarly, in North Bengal, in Alipurduar region, every year, they invade the houses of tea-garden labourers. They also drink mahua and kill people. So, what is the Minister’s reply in this respect? How can the Government protect the human beings from wild animals in West Bengal? It is because elephants are also being killed by Railways. There are two Ministries. Engines are running directly into the herd of elephants. The elephants also follow the same route year after year but the Government has not announced any comprehensive plan to deal with this Railway menace which kills the elephants. With that, Sir, I conclude my speech. Thank you very much.
