Jharkhand HC slams govt for failing to protect flora, fauna in reserve forests

The court said that barring a few wild dogs and monkeys there is nothing in the jungles of the state.The forest officers do not seem to be worried about the scanty animal presence in the jungles and have not done anything to enhance the population of the wild animals, the bench said.The court was hearing a PIL-initiated suo motu on news published in local dailies reporting the death of elephant calves in the jungles of Latehar on September 10.

The High Court of Jharkhand on Thursday came down heavily on the forest department for having failed to protect the flora and fauna in reserve forests of the state.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dr. Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad, while hearing public interest litigation, observed that it is shameful to know that there are just five tigers in the wild in the state. Commenting on the Palamu Tiger Reserve, the high court wondered why it should be called a tiger reserve since there are no tigers. The bench observed that officers are not even aware of how many male and female big cats exist in Jharkhand. Jungles exist not only for their products but to maintain the ecological balance which man has disturbed, the bench said. The court said that barring a few wild dogs and monkeys there is nothing in the jungles of the state.

The forest officers do not seem to be worried about the scanty animal presence in the jungles and have not done anything to enhance the population of the wild animals, the bench said.

The court was hearing a PIL initiated suo motu on news published in local dailies reporting the death of elephant calves in the jungles of Latehar on September 10. Elephants do not survive more than 40 years in the state which is very alarming, the court observed.

Even after their deaths, no forensic examination is conducted to ascertain the cause, the judges said.