New Delhi: The Supreme Court on April 8 expressed concern over financial mismanagement in wildlife parks. It expressed concern over the way funds were being diverted by the states for other uses. The Court was hearing a petition filed by Mr. Ashok Kumar, Trustee, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), highlighting the nonpayment of 14 months salary to the staff of Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar.The original petition was filed in October 2001, which led to the entire staff walking out of the park and going on hunger strike.

While the Court found that since the original petition had been filed, the State of Bihar and the Government of India had taken proper steps to remedy that situation, the court also said the petitioner was at liberty to file a separate petition raising other grievances “set out in the impleadment application” and pertaining to the State of Uttaranchal.

The impleadment application highlighted that Rs 80 lakhs in emergency funds earmarked by the Central Government for anti-poaching patrols at the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve were not made available in time to the tiger reserve by the state government.

Encouraged by the court’s decision, WTI will now file a petition asking for rectification of the fiscal procedures by which funds for tiger protection are disbursed to tiger reserves. An informal study conducted by the WTI and included in the Ministry of Environment and Forest’s Project Tiger Status Report shows that of the 25 tiger reserves surveyed, 23 had not received funding in time from state governments.

The funds were diverted and, as a result, anti-poaching efforts and other important wildlife management activities didn’t take place. In Valmiki Tiger Reserve, for example, a sum of Rs 1 crore was sent “on paper” at the end of March 2002 and the entire amount lapsed before its actual disbursement. The situation is similar in many other tiger reserves.

In its closing remarks, the Court noted its appreciation of the interest shown by the petitioner and commended him for his efforts to highlight an issue of such public importance relating to wildlife. It also said that if it had not been for the petitioner’s intervention in this matter, a resolution might not have been so near in sight.

For further details contact: Mr. Ashok Kumar, Trustee, ashok@wildlifetrustofindia.org

WTI Communications at editor@wildlifetrustofindia.org