The Asian Age, New Delhi

New Delhi, July 30: The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2005, which was recently cleared by the Cabinet, will be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

The Cabinet recently cleared the legal provisions of the bill along with the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force, which has recommended setting up of National Tiger Conservation Authority Bill and the National Wildlife Crime Bureau. The enactment of the bill with amendments would facilitate implementation of the urgent recommendations of the Tiger Task Force, which was appointed by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

As per the amendments, Centre will have to constitute a special bureau to control wildlife crime specially tiger poaching in the country. The move will strengthen conservation of tigers and other endangered species of wild animals through effective combating of wildlife crimes.

The urgent recommendations of the Tiger Task Force also included strengthening of Project Tiger by giving it statutory as well as administrative powers, in the form of National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The authority will enact normative standards and guidelines for tiger conservation and will provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, tiger estimation, disease surveillance, mortality survey, management and future plan for conservation.

The National Wildlife Crime Bureau, will be on the lines of Central Bureau of Investigation and will tackle the wildlife poaching in the country. The move will strengthen conservation of tigers and other endangered species of wild animals through effective combating of wildlife crimes.

The bureau will have to coordinate with concerned authorities in foreign countries and international organisations for facilitating universal action towards wildlife crime control will also be looked by the bureau. The bureau will collect and collate intelligence related to wildlife crime, its dissemination to states and other enforcement agencies for immediate action.