Why was 'Project Cheetah' scientist's extension curtailed?

An official informed the news agency that it was not an "individual-driven” project.

Noted biologist and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) dean Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala has claimed that the government informed him on Tuesday evening that his tenure in the high post has got over, without citing "a reason", ANI reported.

In an order issued on February 28, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change curtailed the two-year extension till February 28, 2024, granted to Jhala on his superannuation on February 28, 2022.

"Dr. Y.V. Jhala, Scientist-G, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, was granted an extension of two years from the date of his superannuation, i.e.,28.02.2022. In this context, the undersigned is directed to mention that the said extension period is curtailed and restricted to one year i.e., up to 28.02.2023," the order issued on February 28, 2023, said.

"The vacancy arising, as a result, shall be filled up with the ongoing process of recruitment of Scientists. This issues with the approval of the competent authority," the order stated further.

Responding to the development, he told the news agency that it was his project. "The (Cheetah) project itself was mine, but the government is the parent. The government can do whatever it wants. What can we do about it? Last evening, I was told that my tenure is over. No reason was given to me by the government," he added.

However, an official has denied his claims and told ANI that it was not an "individual-driven" project. "Project Cheetah' is a project of the Union government in association with the Madhya Pradesh government and the WII. It's not an individual-driven project," the official told the news agency on condition of anonymity.

The official further stated that Jhala had retired from the institute and was serving on an extension. Hence, it was wrong to say that his tenure was cut short. He also sought to clarify that there was no truth in Jhala's allegation of ignoring him as he was part of every meeting of the task force.

20 cheetahs find new home

Under the ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released the first batch of eight spotted felines - five females and three males - from Namibia into a quarantine enclosure at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on his 72nd birthday on September 17 last year.

Cheetah is the only large carnivore that got completely wiped out from India, mainly due to overhunting and habitat loss. The last spotted feline died in 1948 in the Sal forests of Chhattisgarh's Koriya district.

The second batch of 12 cheetahs were released into the Kuno National Park (KNP) on February 18.