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Published : April 24, 2021 20:09 IST
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A female great Indian bustard that was killed after it collided with power lines in Kutch. Photo: Devesh Gadhavi, The Corbett Foundation
There’s good news for the great Indian bustard (GIB). The Supreme Court has directed the governments of Gujarat and Rajasthan to lay high voltage power lines underground in the habitats of the bird to aid in its conservation efforts. The bird, found only in India and certain areas of Pakistan, is classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Power lines have long been a threat to the GIB and is also one of the prime reasons behind the steep decline in the GIB population in the past decade. Research studies conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India have shown that nearly 18 GIBs die every year because of collision with power lines in the Thar region, Rajasthan.
NEW DELHI: To save critically endangered Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican from extinction, the Supreme Court on Monday directed Gujarat and Rajasthan governments to underground overhead power cables in the bird species s habitat areas in Kutch and Thar to avoid their collisional deaths and instal diverters till undergrounding work was complete. In all cases where the overhead power lines exist as on today in the priority and potential GIB area, the respondents shall take steps forthwith to install divertors pending consideration of the conversion of the overhead cables into underground power lines. In all such cases where it is found feasible to convert the overhead cables into underground power lines the same shall be undertaken and completed within a period of one year and till such time the diverters shall be hung from the existing power lines, said a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.
Attorney General KK Venugopal quarantines himself after family member tests COVID positive
Venugopal has been assisting the top court on issues, including laying of underground cables and source of its funding for protecting the endangered birds.
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NEW DELHI: A law officer on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Attorney General K K Venugopal would not be available to assist it in a case related to saving the endangered Great Indian Bustard as he has quarantined himself after a family member of his associate tested COVID-19 positive.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, hearing a PIL pertaining to the Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican, was told by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati that the top law officer was unavailable on Tuesday.
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Supreme Court has on Tuesday reserved its order in plea filed seeking protection for Great Indian Bustard from transmission lines in States of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
A three-judge Bench of CJI Bobde, Justice Bopanna and Justice Ramasubramanian concluded hearing the arguments of all parties regarding under grounding of low and high voltage transmission lines to protect Great Indian Bustards which is an endangered species.
The Court had previously observed that it can consider directing under-grounding of the low voltage transmission lines in states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and installation of Bird diverters in case of High transmission lines, for protection of the Great Indian Bustard.