I think we are are once again creating an alarmist situation where none exists; and actually the Park management seems to be doing a good job of removing prosopis unless we want another Delhi ridge type vegetation at Sultanpur. Their action should be welcomed as long it is NOT done by disturbing the wintering waterfowl, which is what, I think, the park management is doing..
In fact, if the removal of prosopis is desirable, which many of us think it is, then it should be done in this season without disturbing the wintering waterfowl. In fact, as you suggest, it will be worse to do such an exercise summers when the resident birds are breeding and utilizing the same space that is being presently cleared of prosopis.
May I once again request, while being a good watchdog, we restrain ourselves from such alarmist announcements that the media are quick to pick up and which eventually harm the conservation interests of birdlife around our region. Also may I add that, while Dark-throated thrush is an uncommon winter visitor to Delhi, it's not species of conservation interest as per the red data list.
Best wishes.
KB
--
Kanwar B Singh
New Delhi, India
-- On Thu, Nov 25, 2010 at 10:55 PM, Anand Arya - GMail <anandswarooparya@gmail.com> wrote:
FYI. An image of Dark-throated Thrush from Sultanpur.--And, also for your support. Please write to MOS-MOEF to save Sultanpur at the e-mail address there.Cheers.Anand Arya
Begin forwarded message:From: Anand Arya <anandarya@anandarya.com>Date: 25 November 2010 10:50:23 PM GMT+05:30Cc: Ajit Pal Singh <ajitphotography@yahoo.com>, delhibird@yahoogroups.com, delhibirdpix@googlegroups.com, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan <yamunajiye@gmail.com>, gandhim@sansad.nic.in, pmosb@pmo.nic.in, soniagandhi@sansad.nic.in, manmohan@sansad.nic.inSubject: Repeated Threat - Sultanpur National Park - State of and Another Open Letter (No. 6)Shri Jairam Ramesh,Minister of State - Independent Charge,Ministry of Environment & Forest.Government of India,New Delhi.Dear Minister, Sir,Like in June 2010, once again SULTANPUR NATIONAL PARK (SNP) AND ITS RESIDENTS - THOUSANDS OF BIRDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CONGREGATING THERE AT PRESENT ARE UNDER THREAT.Sir, the threat to the survival of SNP was brought to your notice in June and then followed up till you had been kind enough to order a Team to investigate the situation. Little is known of what the Team found and the action taken in the wake of investigations.The Haryana Forest Department and Park Authorities appear to be taking actionS that are definitely not in the interest of the Park, particularly when the park is inhabited by thousand and thousands of Birds.Sir, at present, a Pair of Dark-Throated Thrush, (Image 1 - not a good image though) is being sighted at the very place where a number of trees have been uprooted (Image 2 showing one such felled tree). This is a pretty Scarce Sighting of a Bird of the Himalayas (upto 4200m) with less than 10 records from plains. The uprooting of the trees from this area is indeed destroying the habitat and threatening the sighting of such species. Every year, we find one or two such species in this area of SNP.A JCB was seen uprooting trees (Image 3) just at the 'service gate on the eastern boundary of SNP and many tree were found uprooted. All this under the 'garb of getting rid of 'Prosopis Juliflora' as per the information available from those working on this and also some of the field staff and any query is explained, "Upar se order hai".The point here is that 'prosopis juliflora' is not threatening SNP at all unlike this had become a threat at Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur. In the event, this needs to be 'managed' then the question is why this was not done so when "SNP was closed for Maintenance" from June to August, 2010. Further, why can this not wait till the summer months when the total number of birds and species is less as compared to winter months.Immediate orders are required for the work to stop without any delay. We appeal you to kindly have this investigated by the Team that has already looked in to the affairs of SNP for issue of appropriate orders.Needless to say, Sir, the damage would be irreversible.SincerelyAam Aadmi
On 03-Jul-10, at 7:35 AM, Anand Arya - GMail wrote:Shri Jairam Ramesh,Minister of State - Independent Charge,Ministry of Environment & Forest,Government of India,New Delhi.Dear Minister, Sir,It was good to read in Hindustan Times of July 2, 2010 that the MOEF is setting up a 'Team to investigate the situation at Sultanpur National Park' - something that we, Aam Aadmi and Bird Watchers who visit SNP most frequently, have been requesting you.May we make the following points, Sir.First, this be done at the earliest possible.Second, the Constitution of Team be at the Highest Possible Level and Terms of Reference for this Team must encompass investigation in to every aspect of the 'Management of the Park' and 'Causes that let to the unfortunate situation" and the 'Remedial Action' not only for this Park but something as a 'Model" for all the Protected Areas in the Country to follow.Third, The Investigating Team should, in fact must, have an interaction with the Bird Watchers who are the Prime Stakeholders in SNP. Sir, we are a group, with strength of over 1500, of not just Bird Watchers but are extremely conscious of Conservation of Environment and are willing to contribute in many a ways.We would appreciate an opportunity of a personal discussion.Sincerely,Aam Aadmi
On 29-Jun-10, at 7:19 AM, Anand Arya - GMail wrote:Shri Jairam Ramesh,Minister of State - Independent Charge,Ministry of Environment & Forest,Government of India,New Delhi.Dear Minister, Sir,More than two weeks have not passed by since the matter was brought to your kind notice and a week since our request for some serious action. Am not sure if any action has been taken and if so, with what results.There were some news of Park being closed till 30th June but when we visited it was pad-locked with notice of its being closed till 31st July, 2010.What is actually going on ? We, the Aam-Aadmi, have a right to know. The Park has never been closed during the last eight years which I know for sure - even when some maintenance work was on, the Park was Open. Closing the Park for such long time indicates there is some thing extremely serious.It is definitely time for MOEF to be a bit pro-active, look at a situation that threatens it very survival of a National Park and also let the Aam-Aadmi know what is going on.May be request once that the matter is investigated by a Team from MOEF and representatives of Delhi Bird Group are made a part of this team.Looking forward to some action and a reply,Sincerely,Aam-Aadmi
On 22-Jun-10, at 10:54 AM, Anand Arya - GMail wrote:Shri Jairam Ramesh,Minister of State - Independent Charge,Ministry of Environment & Forest,Government of India,New Delhi.Dear Minister, Sir,Kindly refer to the earlier e-mails of June 14 & 15, 2010 on the subject.As far as my current information goes, no action has been taken to remedy the situation by the Department of Forest or by the CM, Haryana to whom a letter each had been sent by you as also by Ms. Maneka Gandhi.After having seen the Images that were attached to earlier e-mails and also what was reported by the Newspapers and Media, there really can be no doubts about:1. That Sultanpur National Park (SNP) is in such a horrible and unacceptable state of affairs for the first time.2. That this situation has arisen due to criminal dereliction of duty on part of the officials responsible for its management in Gurgaon as well in the Department at Panchkula.3. To an extent, the MOEF has also failed in its duty to monitor the state of affairs of the Protected Areas.Sir, this is an ISSUE OF GOVERNANCE, which is essentially an issue that begins and ends at the TOP and as such needs your personal attention - at least when the situation is so critical and pathetic.May I request that a few minutes of your time may kindly be spared to the Members of Delhi Bird Group who can give you the first hand knowledge about the Park, The Species Found, Images and the state of affairs that had prevailed at SNP, say for the last 10 Years.Sir, I have personally seen and/or photographed more that 300 Species at SNP - over numerous visits to SNP at all times of the years. The Park is not only for the ' 90 + Winter Migratory Species' (as the PCCF, Haryana thinks, going by the media reports), but also for ' 150 + Residents and Breeding Species with most breeding in summer months with a few exceptions that breed through the year or in winters as also another ' 15 + Species that migrate in Summers to Breed at SNP and ' 20 + Species which are Passage Migrants in both in Winters and Summer Months. Thus, SNP is HOME to 300 + Species as I have recorded - there are quite a few more that I have not yet seen there but have been spotted by other bird waters at SNP.Sir, SNP deserves all the attention that can be possibly given to it.May we the request:1. Give Delhi Bird Group to make a Presentation to you.2. Instruct the Concerned Senior Most Official of MOEF to constitute a Team:a. to look in to the current status and conditions of SNP vis a vis what conditions prevailed in the past 10 yearsb. to find and ascertain the reasons for the current status and conditions of SNPc. to determine whether the Park Management as well the Department of Haryana discharged their duties as expectedd. to assign the responsibility to the official(s) concerned for mismanagement/dereliction and punishmente. to determine what measures are required to be taken through out the years to maintain SNP in pristine conditions befitting a NPf. to determine the quantity of water required each monthg. to determine the steps to be taken and assign responsibility for arranging the required quantity of water for SNPh. to lay down a mechanism for monitoring the well being of SNP (not only SNP but for all PAs)i. to cover any other areas the team may deem appropriateSir, an immediate action is a must lest SNP too should meet the same fate as the world famous Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur has met despite being a Ramsar and Heritage Site.Sir, a lot of objections of would come up regarding other priorities like development of local region and so on. I would like to draw your kind attention to a Judgement by the Hon'ble Justices of Supreme Court Ruma Pal and Justice A. R. Lakshmanan wherein they had opined that "economic development should not be allowed to take place at the cost of ecology or by causing widespread environmental destruction and violation". The Hon'ble also drew attention to "Article 48-A of Constitution mandates that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve environment and Article 51-A enjoins that it shall be the duty of every citizen to protect and improve national environment, including forests, lakes and river."Sir, we look up to you as you are both "A State and A Citizen"Best Regards.
On 15-Jun-10, at 6:57 PM, Anand Arya - GMail wrote:Shri Jairam Ramesh,Minister of State - Independent Charge,Ministry of Environment & Forest,Government of India,New Delhi.Dear Minister, Sir,Learn from HT of this morning that a Letter has been addressed by you to The Chief Minister of Haryana for prompt action. Many thanks.For an Aam Aadmi, when the situation is so alarming and pathetic, this is not enough, Sir. Enclosed are couple of images from June 14, 2009 (exactly a year ago) which show an Active Heronry as also the amount of Water that was there.Apparently, it is a case of Gross Mismanagement and Complete Dereliction of Duty. The Explanations given by the Park Management are not satisfactory at all - No Policy Pertaining to a National Permits execution in such a cruel manner.Sir, what is required is a thorough investigation as to the reasons why this situation was permitted to develop; who are the individuals involved and responsible and who did not take the appropriate action in time; or, if the action and decisions required were above their grade of pay, did they escalate matter to higher ups; who was the higher authority monitoring the well being of SNP and did the person fail in discharging his/her duties; what do we learn from this; what needs to be done to see that such a situation does not recur; who would be responsible for ensuring the actions now finalised or measures decided to be taken now are properly implemented.It is apparent that the Park Management and the supervising Authorities in Panchkula have not only failed in ensuring regular corrective action but their decisions (particularly to let the water body dry up with a view to cruelly kill all aquatic life) are questionable.A Team from MOEF has to make a Spot Visit, Get a Status Report, Fix Responsibility, Suggest Corrective as also ControlMeasures.Sultanpur, Sir, has the Status of a National Park and is not a seasonal lake. Water availability has to be managed like it has been done in the past and as required for a National Park.It is understood that there are certain 'social issues' but then resolving such issues and maintaining environment is the Governance to be done by MOEF.Best Regards.Sincerely,Anand AryaAn Aam Aadmi<Stork,-Asian-Openbill---Sultanpur---2009.0614-(_28I0254).jpg>
<Egret,-Great---Sultanpur---2009.06.14-(_28I0257).jpg>On 14-Jun-10, at 8:45 AM, Anand Arya - GMail wrote:Shri Jairam Ramesh,Minister of State - Independent Charge,Ministry of Environment & Forest,Government of India,New Delhi.Dear Minister, Sir,This brings to your notice the Pathetic State of Affairs at Sultanpur National Park, Gurgaon, Haryana, The Photographs attached speak for more and better than any one can describe in words.Please be kind enough to peruse put the machinery of MOEF to remedy the situation once and for all. Let us not hear that it is a State issue and that we take up with the State. Have reproduced below the summary of replies received from Park Officials of the State by two very, very prominent birders of Delhi Bird Group. It is time the MOEF officials, charged with the overseeing of National Parks and Sanctuaries, are made to do their jobs. MOEF CANNOT BE MUTE SPECTATOR like ordinary public.Issues highlighted by the images below are:1. The National Park has been completely neglected and is in a sad state of affairs.2. The Park authorities have failed in their basic and primary duty to arrange adequate quantity of water for the Park.3. The Park Authorities have failed in their basic and primary duty to stop 'unauthorised ingress' in to the Park.4. AN EXTREMELY CRUEL method has been practiced to 'deal with unwanted fish'.If this happens so close to THE MOEF (like it was permitted to happen for Okhla Bird Park and Wild Life Sanctuary), then SIR, their is no hope for the Environment and Wild Life in the Country.Produced below are excerpts of the summary by two prominent Bird Watchers of Delhi.__________
I just had a talk with Dr. Parvez Ahmed, Chief Wildlife Warden, Haryana.
He informed me that the lake has dried up due to non availability of water. Tubwells in the area do not have sweet water. Pumping in brackish water is not advisable also. The Park also did not get canal water during this season. In any case, according to him, the drying up of the water is a help in the sense that the African Black fish in the pond have become too big and they are devouring all seedlings and fingerlings introduced to the pond, depriving birds for whom these are put in the water. Once the monsoons start, they would fill up the pond and also introduce seelings. He also confirmed that a National Park can neither sell the fish or remove it.
I personally feel that if the big fish are a threat to the ecology of the Park, they should be removed from there and let free in other ponds or river. Obviously, the Haryana Wildlife Department has no such policy.
Koshy
___________I just spoke to the Park officials - they are calling the drying of the pond a management decision. The reason being the fish have grown to over 25 kgs and have become too big for the birds. Besides they are eating all the smaller fish. Being a National Park they can't sell the fish, so they thought it would be best to dry the pond.They confirm they have ample water, and will start releasing the water in 2-3 weeks. In the 1st week July they want to put in the fishlings tooAny park Management expert?
BestNIK___________The park attendant Suresh, who is an old-timer there had a different story to tell me. He says the villagers did not release the canal water this time due to acute water shortage. So if humans don't get water you can forget about the fish. And then he says, the dry weather casualties are very natural and the damage will be recovered shortly. He also promised more birds migrating end of this year and they will fix up everything before their arrival. Sounded more like a artificial resort for the birds than a natural wildlife and bird sanctuary.If they realize that this is a national park and the can't sell the fish, then what are all these cows doing inside the park eating up all the natural fodder meant for the resident Nilgai. (See attached photos). The park was full of cows and the Nilgai was no where to be seen. I surveyed almost the entire park and could only spot a few Nilgai hiding in bushes in the somewhere in the park. Maybe the cows scared them away.Regards,
Ajit Pal SinghHere are the images:<APS100608016.jpg><APS100608026.jpg><APS100608032.jpg><APS100608044.jpg><APS100608047.jpg><APS100608055.jpg><APS100608057.jpg>Do hope something would get done.I am copying this to the Delhi Bird Group Sites as also to some in the Media.Best Regards.A Common ManP.S. The Images are Copy Rights of Mr. Ajil Pal Singh.
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