The ministry announced its decision to award Dr Vaseem Mirza, working in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), on July 10, 2023 .
A veterinarian from Karnataka, working with the state forest department will be honoured with the Gaj Gaurav award by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on World Day observed on August 12.
The ministry announced its decision to award Dr Vaseem Mirza, working in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), on July 10, 2023 and the state forest department was intimated about the same on July 11, 2023. “This is the first time an official from Karnataka is getting such an award. It is very encouraging,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), wildlife, Subhash Malkhade told The New Indian Express.
Dr Mirza is being recognised for his efforts towards saving the life of an electrocuted cow elephant in February 2023, near BTR. Today, the elephant is fit and healthy in the wild. It was appreciated by the ministry as well as the Prime Minister.
Additional PCCF, wildlife, Kumar Pushkar suggested Dr Mirza’s name for the award. The awards were launched by the ministry in 2022 to recognise and appreciate the frontline staffers and officials for their works in the field of wildlife. Last year, staffers from Tamil Nadu were honoured with the award in Kerala’s Periyar tiger reserve. This year the elephant day event will be held in Odisha.
The latest study was conducted in December 2022, covering Sirsi-Honnavara and Shivamogga forest divisions.
Karnataka has the world’s largest population of lion-tailed macaques (LTMs) with 41 groups of 730 individuals, according to a study by the Karnataka Forest Department and Coimbatore-based Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON).
The study gave a big boost to conservation efforts as it found that the population of LTMs in the Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary (SVLTMS), spread across Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts, has been stable with more groups being added, as compared to the previous study. The earlier study in 2015 had put the population of LTMs at 30 groups with a little over 600 individuals.
The latest study was conducted in December 2022, covering Sirsi-Honnavara and Shivamogga forest divisions. Volunteers and forest department staff walked through 72 grid cells in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, which span north of the Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and south of the Aghanashini River Valley.
“The study areas were Kyadagi and Siddapur forest ranges in the Sirsi Forest Division, Honnavar, Gersoppa, Bhatkala and Kumta Forest ranges in the Honnavar Forest Division, and Kogar and Kargal forest ranges of the Shivamogga Wildlife Division,” said Vasanth Reddy, Conservator of Forests, Canara Circle, who initiated the study.
“It revealed that Uttara Kannada has been a significant and potential site for the conservation of LTMs, considering the sizable canopy and undisturbed habitat as compared to the north of Sharavathi,” HN Kumara, Senior Principal Scientist, SACON, said. He said the department’s initiatives, like restoration of canopy and forests and insulating high-tension transmission lines that pass through forest areas of Gerusoppa and other places, have helped in the conservation of LTMs.
This is the first integrated LTM assessment exercise for the Sharavathi Valley Sanctuary, covering both Canara and Shivamogga circles. Earlier, the study focussed only on Canara circle. LTMs are the indicators of evergreen forests as they prefer canopy and are rarely seen on ground.
ePlane is an IIT-Madras incubated start-up that aspires to build a compact flying taxi. The MoU aims at developing UAVs and flying electric vehicles.
Mysuru-based Vinyas Innovative Technologies and Bengaluru-based Printalytix have signed an MoU with an IIT-Madras incubated ePlane company, which specialises in building compact flying electric taxis and drone systems, for developing UAVs and flying electric vehicles.
Vinyas and Printalytix signed the MoU with ePlane in Mysuru on May 18.
Vinyas will be manufacturing various kinds of drones and UAVs as well as collaborating on marketing and servicing the same.
Printalytix will be providing mechanical design and manufacturing support for the production of UAVs and electric flying taxis.
The three companies aim to indigenise, manufacture, assemble, and integrate advanced drone systems at Vinyas’ production facility in Mysuru by leveraging ePlane’s technology and manufacturing know-how. Vinyas, reinforced by e-Plane, will provide after-market services, and product life-cycle support to its customers worldwide.
The MoU involves manufacturing of small and large UAVs as well as electric flying taxis that use eVTOL technology designed to fulfil requirements starting from land security and surveillance, delivery, rail inspections and monitoring, mapping, to emergency response in urban environments.
The MoU covers the work scope of electronics design and development, PCB assembly, system integration and testing of these UAVs and drone components. The UAVs of ePlane have successfully demonstrated their product capabilities in terms of range, battery life and unique design.
Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, founder and CEO of ePlane, said, “We aim to unlock the full potential of indigenisation, design, engineering and manufacturing that would contribute to the evolving advanced air mobility market and the Make-in-India scheme as well.”
Narendra Narayanan, founder and Managing Director of Vinyas Innovative Technologies, said, “The MoU aims to bring the best of drone technology solutions to many strategic entities. The partnership is a no-brain drainer, as our joint vision has matched up perfectly.”
According to Kiran and Abhishek, who represent Printalytix: “We witness the growing demand and need for drones in various sectors while the supply chain and manufacturing ecosystem in India are catching up to be able to support this growth.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the longest railway platform in the world at Hubballi railway station in Karnataka.
The Hubballi railway station in Karnataka has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest railway platform in the world. The 1,507 metre long platform was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
Built at a cost of about Rs 20 crore, the platform is part of the remodelling of the Hubballi yard and aimed at addressing the growing need of more trains in the future in the Hubballi-Dharwad region of Karnataka.
The Hubballi railway station is officially called Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji Station. The platform enables dispatch or reception of two trains from two directions at the same time, Southern Railways said.
The Guinness World Records said it verified the length of the platform on January 12.
PM Modi on Sunday also launched the electrification of Hosapete-Hubballi-Tinaighat section and the upgradation of Hosapete station, for boosting connectivity in the region.
Developed at a cost of over Rs 530 crore, the electrification project establishes seamless train operation on electric traction. The redeveloped Hosapete station will provide convenient and modern facilities to travellers. It has been designed to resemble the Hampi monuments, officials said.
This mountaineer set a new record by scaling two among the highest peaks in Asia, in a span of just three days.
When Naveen Mallesh (35) stood atop Mount Fansipan in Vietnam in February this year, he was thankful for an uneventful trek.
At that moment, the mountaineer didn’t imagine he would eventually set a record of becoming the fastest individual to scale two mountains in South-East Asia.
Having undergone a month-long recovery process following a near-death experience while attempting to scale Mount Manaslu in Nepal in September ’22, Mallesh returned to mountaineering, scaling two among the highest peaks in South East Asia and Indo-China, Mount Kinabalu (Malaysia: 4,095m) and Mount Fansipan (Vietnam: 3,147m), respectively, within a span of just 3 days 10 hours and 49 minutes. “When I was talking to local guides in Fansipan, some didn’t believe I had come there having trekked Kinabalu just days before. They thought I had set a new record. It’s then that I applied for the Indian Book of Records and the Asian Book of Records,” he says.
Mallesh’s only desire was to get back to doing what he loves and that drove him to undertake the challenge. “I explored trekking routes in the South-East and flew to Singapore. I then completed the trek to Mount Kinabalu in a day and flew back to Singapore. I had an 18-hour layover, flew to Vietnam, and completed the trek to Mount Fansipan,” he says, adding his experience helped him tackle the varied topography of both peaks.
Like most mountaineers, Mallesh has always wanted to climb the highest peaks in all of the seven continents. In 2019, he scaled the first of the seven – Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. But the pandemic disrupted plans. So when he climbed the second of the seven peaks – Mount Elbrus, Russia, he dedicated that to Covid warriors. His next target was Mount Aconcagua, Argentina.
Yet again, the third wave and the ensuing restrictions forced the Banashankari resident to look elsewhere. He decided to scale Mount Manaslu – the world’s eighth-highest peak at 8,163m. When he was within touching distance of the peak, an avalanche buried him under snow. “It’s known as the ‘dead zone’. I had blockages in my lungs and frostbites on my toes. Thankfully, I was rescued,” shares Mallesh, who is now eyeing Mount Everest.
Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched ‘Project Tiger on April 1, 1973, at Bandipur to protect the big cats and promote their conservation in India. Since then, the project has helped in increasing their population and strengthening conservation efforts.
Fifty years later, all eyes are on Bandipur Project Tiger Reserve again, not only because Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming there to inaugurate the celebrations to mark 50 years of Project Tiger, but bacause the reserve is recognized as the prime tiger habitat in the world today.
According to official statistics, the number of tigers when Project Tiger began in 1973 was 12. Due to rampant poaching and no protection, the big cat was pushed to the brink of extinction. As per the statistics by the National Tiger Conservation Authority the number of tigers has now been recorded at 126. The Authority has mentioned the number under the title “Status of Tigers Co-predators and Prey in India for 2018”. However, the number of tigers in the park is pegged at 173 today.
Modi will release the latest statistics of tiger estimation (2022) at the “Commemorating 50 years of Project Tiger” programme, which will be held in Mysuru on April 9.
The Bandipur National Park was formed by including most of the forest area of the then Venugopala Wildlife Park established by the government of India on February 19, 1941. The area was enlarged in 1985 extending over 874.20 square kms and was named the Bandipur National Park.
This reserve was brought under Project Tiger in 1973. Subsequently some adjacent reserve forest areas were added to the reserve extending it to 880.02 square kms. The present area under the Bandipur Tiger Reserve is 912.04 square kms.
In 2007-08, an area of 39.80 square kms attached to the Karnataka Forest Development Corporation plantation area was handed over to this division. During 2010-11 the Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary was also handed over to the wildlife division.
In old Mysore State, a forest department was established on January 11, 1864 and an army officer Major Hunter was appointed Conservator of Forests. The state’s rulers realizing the significance of the preservation of wildlife, passed the Mysore Game and Fish Preservation Act in 1901.
The Mysore Gazetteer recorded that tiger blocks were identified and restrictions were imposed on shooting them.
The Bandipur Tiger Reserve along with the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu including the Wayanad forest region in Kerala is home to the highest number of tigers in the country (724) and the largest Asian Elephant population.
The Bandipur Tiger Reserve has become a popular destination for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers from across the world because of its rich biodiversity. Anti-poaching patrols, habitat management and community based conservation programmes have yielded good results.
The authorities are dealing with the challenge of encroachment in buffer zones by the local communities. The development has resulted in man-animal conflict.
Environmentalist Dr A.N. Yallappa Reddy, talking to IANS, stated that Karnataka even today remains the leading state in preservation measures. The tiger population here is the highest in the country. The politicians and earlier the maharajas here paid attention to conservation, he added.
Karnataka was the first state to implement Project Tiger. Because of the Mysuru rulers, the state was the first in the country to declare Bandipur Sanctuary to protect tigers and elephants, he said.
Late former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs was also concerned about wildlife, nature, forests and tree protection. He implemented the guidelines of Project Tiger and abolished the “Pre-Paid license” scheme which allowed people to go into the forests by paying Rs 2 or Rs 3 for a pass. Hundreds of bullock carts entered the forests and people stayed there for one or two days, he explained.
Yallappa Reddy said that when he was deputy conservator of forests in Hunsur, he took Devaraj Urs to see the plunder of the forests. “He banned the practice. Simultaneously Project Tiger was implemented,” he stated.
Modi interacts with camp staffers for 15 mins, who explained the nature of their duty and challenges.
PM Narendra Modi, who launched a three-day mega event to mark 50 years of Project Tiger, is likely to declare Karnataka the ‘Tiger State of India’. As per a recent assessment by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India, it is expected that Karnataka has overtaken Madhya Pradesh in tiger population.
As per the 2018 tiger estimation, Karnataka came second with 524 tigers, while Madhya Pradesh with 526 tigers took first place. The country has 2,967 tigers, and efforts of forest officials in protecting wildlife and forests are expected to have increased the tiger population in the state and country.
The rapid increase in human population over the centuries led to a decline in wildlife in the country. There was large-scale hunting of wildlife, especially tigers, for pleasure during the period of the Mughals, Maharajas and Nawabs, as well as to save people from attacks of wild animals. During British rule between 1895 and 1925, it is reported that over 80,000 tigers, more than 1.50 lakh leopards and 2 lakh wolves were hunted in the country.
According to the Kanara District Gazetteer 1883, the British government gave incentives for killing tigers — Rs 24 for hunting an adult tiger, Rs 12 for a sub-adult tiger and Rs 6 for a tiger cub. As a result, in the 27 years between 1856 and 1882, 640 tigers were shot dead in Kanara, 158 tigers from 1856 to 1866, 350 tigers between 1867 and 1877, and 130 tigers between 1878 and 1882.
As per the 1954-55 Administrative Report of the forest department of the Government of Mysore, Kakanakote State Forest, Begur State Forest, Berambadi State Forest, Bandipur State Forest and Chamarajanagar State Forest in Mysore District, Lakkavalli State Forest in Chikkamagaluru District, Shankar State Forest in Shivamogga district and Hessaraghatta Grass Farm in Bengaluru district were declared game preserves, and Puduvakote Forest Block, Manche Gowdanahalli forest block and Bale Gowdananakatte forest block in Mysuru District, Gurupura forest block in Chikkamagaluru, Kadathikere and Devabu blocks in Shivamogga district were declared tiger preserves.
The first comprehensive legislation regarding wildlife protection was passed by Parliament and the President on September 9, 1972, called Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Then PM Indira Gandhi launched Project Tiger, providing assistance to states for tiger conservation.
However, before the WPL 1992, a number of wildlife sanctuaries — Venugopala Wildlife Park (1931), Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (1940), Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary (1941) and Jagger Valley Wildlife Park (1951) in Mysore state, Nagarahole Wildlife Sanctuary (1955) in Coorg state and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (1956) in Bombay Presidency — established by princely states were merged into Karnataka in 1956.
As per the Karnataka State Gazetteer, 1982, when Project Tiger was launched, Bandipur National Park was brought under it in 1973. Nagarahole National Park and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary were made tiger reserves in 1999. However, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park were brought under Project Tiger in 2007 under the name Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve.
It was later renamed Kali Tiger Reserve. Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve in 2011. The forest department has sent a proposal to the central government to include Kudremukh National Park, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belagavi district in Project Tiger. Bhimgad Sanctuary is a critically important tiger corridor between Karnataka and Goa.
ACCURATE NUMBERS Former Mysuru honorary wildlife warden and Wildlife Conservation Foundation founder Rajkumar Devaraje Urs told TNIE that as tiger estimation was done based on pug marks in the past, there was no accuracy in counting tigers. “After camera traps were introduced, foresters achieved accuracy. The major threat to tigers is forest fires and poaching. If reserve foresters and island pockets are included in the tiger reserve, India has a chance to have a tiger population of 10,000 in future. If there is a good tiger population, forests will be healthy which increases rain, resulting in an increase in groundwater table and rivers.
90% of rivers originate in tiger reserves
As I conclude a memorable visit to the Bandipur and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves, I want to acknowledge the hard work of all forest officials, guards, tiger reserve frontline staff and everyone else working on tiger conservation. Words can’t do justice to their passion and effort. What a delight to meet the wonderful Bomman and Belli, along with Bommi and Raghu. — Prime Minister Narendra Modi
‘No conflict of economy, ecology’ Mysuru: Wildlife protection is a universal issue, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday at the Karnataka State Open University convocation hall in Mysuru. Stating that India contributes to around eight per cent of the known global biodiversity, he said that India has not only saved the tiger population from declining but also provided an ecosystem where they can flourish, and was delighted that the tiger population has increased by 75 per cent. “India does not believe in a conflict between ecology and economy, and gives importance to their coexistence,” Modi said, adding, “India is a country where protecting nature is a part of our culture”. “India has the largest tiger range in the world, the largest Asiatic elephant range with around 30,000 elephants, and also the largest number of single-horn rhinos with a population of roughly 3,000,” he said. India’s Asiatic lion numbers have increased from around 525 in 2015 to around 675 in 2020, he said, adding that the leopard population has jumped by more than 60 per cent over 4 years.
PM Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth over ₹3,600 crore in the district.
In what is his fifth visit to poll-bound Karnataka in two months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Shivamogga airport at Sogane. The event coincided with the 80th birthday of BJP strongman from the State and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth over Rs. 3,600 crore in the district. Later in the afternoon, he will take part in a nine-km roadshow and inaugurate the renovated railway station in Belagavi.
Airport to bring improved connectivity
The new airport has a lotus-shaped terminal and has been developed at a cost of around ₹450 crore. The passenger terminal building of the airport can handle 300 passengers per hour.
Built on 775 acres of land, the airport has aa 3.2 km long runway, and the passenger terminal has a built-up area of 4,320 sqft. The airport can handle aircraft ranging from the ATR 72 to the Airbus 320.
It is considered the second largest airport in the State, after Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru. The exterior design of the passenger terminal resembles lotus, symbol of the ruling BJP, which was objected to by some people earlier.
The airport is expected to improve connectivity and accessibility from Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in the Malnad region of Karnataka, officials said.
A view of the Shivamogga Airport that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2023 | Photo Credit: ANI
The new airport was the dream project of four-time Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa who hails from Shivamogga district. Though he announced his retirement from electoral politics, Mr. Yediyurappa remains a key leader for the party’s poll campaign. He was the Deputy Chief Minister in the Janata Dal (S)-BJP coalition government in 2007 when an airport for Shivamogga was approved.
Earlier, a section of BJP leaders in Shivamogga had proposed that the airport be named after Mr. Yediyurappa. But the former Chief Minister himself suggested that it be named after Kuvempu, the first Kannada poet to get the Jnanpith award and who also hails from Shivamogga.
Frequent visits
Mr. Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president J.P. Nadda have been visiting the State frequently for the last two months, and this would be the Prime Minister’s fifth visit to Karnataka in two months, and the third in February alone. Earlier, he visited Hubballi (January 12), Kalaburagi (January 19), Bengaluru and Tumakuru (February 6), and again Bengaluru to inaugurate Aero India on February 13.
The fourth edition of Bangalore International Centre’s Hub’ba features a dedicated children’s corner, policy discussions on a variety of topics, short films in addition to music and dance .
The annual Bangalore International Centre (BIC) Hub’ba is kicking-off today and features a variety of events for Bengalureans to participate in: lectures, conversations, panel discussions, traditional dance, music programmes and a dedicated corner for children.
For the first time, the fourth edition of the festival also features a section for short films about the city produced by citizens from different backgrounds.
“This year, we are hoping to create a carnival-esque vibe. It’s called a ‘hubba’ for obvious reasons. The idea is to emulate a good-old fun fair. But it is mainly characterised by the sheer variety of events. Everything that people will be interested to know about or participate in, but may not know where to look for,” says
Lekha Naidu, thespian and programming manager at BIC.
It was the success of the original event in 2019 that prompted its return as an annual event ever since. “The whole point of the fest was to create a packed-up version of all different sorts of events that we do throughout the year,” Naidu explains.
This year, the festival also features a section titled ‘B-LORE’ that is dedicated to stories about Bengaluru from a variety of perspectives told through the short films. “We wanted to garner many perspectives and stories about the city. What Bengaluru means to people and what they see in the city. We wanted a repository of information and stories connected to the city. And that led us to putting out an open call for films,” she shares, adding that among the 60 entries that they received, 26 were picked up by the jury and will be premiered at the festival.
While BIC Hub’ba has continued to add events each year, this time the organisers have made a key change to help the audience have a better time at the festival. “We have spaced out the sessions to give the audience a bit more breathing time. In the earlier editions, we had back-to-back sessions, and people would complain about having too many options at the same time and not being able to catch all of them,” Naidu concludes.
G20 summit delegates from 30 countries visited the Bannerghatta Biological Park, Kalkere Arboretum, and the Jungle Lodges and Resorts as part of the series of events organised by the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG).
During this excursion, curated by the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, the state showcased its models for the restoration of forest ecosystems and the different types of forests curated at the arboretum, stated in its official release.
At Bannerghatta, the delegates visited the famous butterfly park and a short animal safari curated for them, where they were able to learn about the state’s sustainable ecotourism model. The Globally acclaimed “Wild Karnataka” movie was screened for the delegates at Jungle Lodges and Resorts.
The visit is part of India’s efforts to shift focus to the climate-change challenges and towards sustainable models of development such as eco-tourism, which can play a vital role, and will balance the needs of the growing economy with necessary measures for protecting the environment.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. V. Ram Prasath Manohar, IAS, Director, Karnataka Tourism said, “Karnataka has an abundance of natural beauty, including the Western Ghats, a site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This mountain range is renowned for its great diversity of flora and fauna. The state has 35 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks. It is also home to over 100 species of animals, and 600 species of birds, including 524 tigers and over 6000 elephants, making Karnataka, truly India’s wildlife capital.
On Thursday, the G20 delegates were given a short insight into the state’s rich biodiversity and stunning wildlife during the excursion”.
