It's
almost official. Madhya Pradesh is not getting Asiatic Lions from
Gujarat because the latter has linked the proposed translocation to its
"Gujarat Asmita (Gujarat's pride)". "I wrote to Chief Minister Narendra
Modi twice but the state has refused to part with its lions," Union
Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday.
A
meeting of the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife
will be held in Delhi on September 16. Ramesh, who will chair the
meeting, said it would discuss Madhya Pradesh's proposal to shift
zoo-bred lions to Kuno Palpur in the face of Gujarat's refusal.
Crores
of rupees have been spent on creating an alternative home in Madhya
Pradesh for the Asiatic lion whose only home is Gujarat's Gir sanctuary.
Residents
of 24 villages have been shifted out of Kuno Palpur in Sheopur district
but Gujarat has refused to spare its lions by citing "its better
conservation record; by questioning MP's ability to protect the big cat
saying it failed to protect its tigers; and above all linking it to the
local pride".
Ramesh said MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan had a better chance of convincing Modi because both states are
ruled by the BJP. But the truth is the translocation did not take off
even during the period when the NDA was ruling the Centre and both
states had BJP governments.
