Govt to give Army powers to protect wildlife

New Delhi, June 19 (UNI) In a major step to protect the threatened tiger and other species, the Government today decided to invest the Army with legal powers to check poaching and trade in animal parts and also to set up National Wildlife Crime Control Bureau armed with investigative powers.

The Field Commanders of the Army deployed for counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North East and other border areas, will be conferred the powers of the chief wildlife wardens, the National Wildlife Board headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided at its third meeting here today.

By virtue of their task and deployment, the troops will be able to assist forest authorities in protection of animal and forest wealth, Secretary, Environment and Forest Ministry Pradipto Ghosh told UNI.

He said an amendment in the existing laws would needed to give powers to the Army. After changed law come into force, field commanders can arrests and even open fire on the offenders eveding arrest, the powers at present enjoyed only by chief wildlife wardes.

Earlier, Minister for Environment and Forest A Raja told reporters after the National Wildlife Board meeting that setting up the National Wildlife Crime Control Bureau(WCCB) will also require an amendment in the Wildlife Protection Act and the bill for the purpose would be brought in the monsoon session Parliament.

The Ministry has received opinion of the Law Ministry to which the proposal had been referred and now an enabling section will have to be added in the existing Act to set up the Bureau, he said.

The WCCB, which is to work under the Ministry of Forest and Environment, will have investigative power at par with the Narcotics Cotrol Bureau, and it will coordinate with other forces in its job, he said.

It would act as a multi-disciplinary agency with officers from forest and wildlife departments, various para-military forces (police, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau, Indo-Tibet Border Police, Border Security Force and customs.

Later, Minister of State Namonarain Meena said the Bureau would work towards evolving a national policy for checkimg the illegal trade in animal products and to probe wildlife crimes in a professional manner.

Mr Meena said crime was a state subject but the gravity of threat to wildlife necessitated such an authority at the national level.

The WCCB will also have an interface with the Interpol agency for wildlife crime control, world customs organisation, the cites tiger enforcement task force and various other law enforcement agencies inside the country, he said.

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