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Tag: Wild Life

Maneka Locks Horn With Colleague Javdekar On Killing Of Vermins

[New Delhi] Maneka Locks Horn With Colleague Javdekar On Culling of Animals
Union Minister Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi today slammed the Environment Ministry for allowing culling of wild animals, saying she cannot understand this “lust” for killing,
Whereas Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar defended the action Passing the buck on States
He said it is done on request of states to protect crops.
The outburst from Maneka, who holds the Women and Child Development portfolio and is an animal rights activist, came after the recent killing of ‘nilgai’ (blue bulls) in Bihar, which she termed as “biggest ever massacre”, even as the row led to criticism from opposition which alleged that there is no cohesion in the government.
Maneka said the Union Environment Ministry “is writing to every state government, allowing them to provide a list of animals that can be killed so that the Centre can give permission.
“This is happening for the first time. I don’t understand this lust for killing of animals.”
However, Javadekar insisted that it was “scientific management” of animal population and the permissions for killing animals designated as ‘vermin’ were restricted to particular areas and time period.
Maneka claimed the Centre has allowed killing of ‘nilgai’ in Bihar, elephants in West Bengal, monkeys in Himachal Pradesh, peacocks in Goa and wild boars in Chandrapur even when the wildlife departments of states are saying they do not wish to kill animals.
On the ‘nilgai’ killing in Bihar, she said it has happened when neither the village head nor the farmers have called for their killing.
Responding to the charge, Javadekar said it is being done as per existing law and is not a central government programme.
Maneka said 53 wild boars have been killed in drought-hit Chandrapur in Maharashtra and the Environment Ministry has allowed killing of 50 more, even when the state wildlife department does not want that.