70 deer to shift from Powai Park

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Captivated deer at the Powai Park will now get a new lease of life as they would be shifted in the wilds of the Tungareshwar forest

After a long period of about 40 years, the deer which were held in captive at the Dr Babasaheb Amedkar Udyan in Powai will finally be freed at the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The deer can be shifted anytime by the end of this month or early April. The callousness of various government departments was the reason for delay in the freedom of these deer who were to be released into their natural habitat two years ago.
B Majumder, chief wildlife warden, Maharashtra, informs, "We have permitted the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) authorities to move the deer. They can start the shifting immediately. The forest department has no reservations about the process if the deer are transferred under medical supervision." Earlier, a decision to shift the deer to the forest before monsoon last year, was postponed as necessary permission weren't granted.

Regarding the shifting procedure of deer, Satish Phale, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), Wildlife Division, Mumbai, says, "The government has allowed to shift the deer to Tungareshwar forests but the National Park authorities are in-charge of the shifting process. Deer are very delicate animals and may even die while shifting. Therefore, the International Union Conservation (IUC) laws has to be kept in mind while doing so. They can be only shifted under strict medication and supervision."

The Powai garden used to spend over Rs 15 lakh a year for the maintenance of these deer's. Two years back, the BMC's Hydraulic department, which manages the Powai Municipal Garden, had admitted in a letter to the conservator of forests that it does not have proper infrastructure, skilled staff and a veterinary doctor to maintain the animals, and therefore, requested permission to release the deer in the wild.

Sunish Subramaniam, Secretary of Plant and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), had filed a Right to Information (RTI) application seeking information about the issue from various authorities like the Hydraulic Engineer and the Garden Department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and officials from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). Subramaniam, says, "The response to the RTI applications made by PAWS last year revealed that the deer had been kept in Powai Lake for 40 years without the permission of Central Zoo Authority (CZA) or the Wildlife Authority."

We have permitted the Sanjay Gandhi National Park authorities to move the deer. We have no reservations about the process if the deer are transferred under medical supervision - B Majumder, chief wildlife warden, Maharashtra