Top News
Elephant corridors: SC says no states listening to Centre
New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday told the Centre that “no state is listening to government of India”, after it was told that that there were 27 critical elephant corridors which fall in 22 states, but 13 states only have filed any response on the issue.
When the Centre told the bench that the states were showing scant regard to it on the issue and the Supreme Court also, a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta added “also to the Constitution of India”.
The bench had earlier asked the Central government to come out with a solution to save elephants as it stressed on the need to have elephant corridors across the country to reduce the animal fatalities due to accidents and other reasons, but Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A.N.S. Nadkarni, who appeared for the Centre, told the bench in Thursday that 13 states have not responded despite Supreme Court’s order.
Elephant corridors are narrow strips of land that allow elephants to move from one habitat patch to another.
As many states have not responded, the bench said it was a hopeless situation and asked the Centre whether it felt helpless.
“What is to be done? No state is listening to Government of India… It is hopeless. There has to be a solution of this. Is the Government of India helpless. Nobody listens to the Government of India,” said Justice Lokur to Nadkarni.
“It is a crisis. If state governments will say we will do whatever we want and let the Government of India say anything, there will be a complete breakup of the system. It is an amazing situation.”
Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan have not responded to the Centre on the issue of elephant corridors.
The court also said that no construction activity will be carried out in areas of Tamil Nadu where it was alleged that 400 hotels and resorts have come up on the elephant corridor areas.
The court asked the Collector of the Nilgiri area, where hotels and resorts have allegedly come up, to file a report on the issue and how these resorts can be identified, and when they were built and how.
The court now posted in August for hearing a batch of pleas relating to the issue of having elephant corridors across India.
Earlier, the Central government had told the apex court that a standing committee of the wildlife board would consider suggestions, including making 27 corridors across India for safe passage of elephants and other endangered animals
The petitions had referred to unnatural deaths of elephants on highways, railway tracks, by electrocution and have said that areas earmarked for these animals were not sufficient.
–IANS
gt/vd
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.