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Bhubaneswar, Jan 22: The tiger census report, which claims that there has been a decline in the tiger population in Orissa, has prompted Congress leaders to train the guns on the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Thursday.
“Proper conservation of tigers is the responsibility of all states. Unfortunately, the Orissa government has failed to take proper steps to ensure conservation of tigers whose number has dropped in the state.” said Congress leader and leader of Opposition in Assembly, Narasingha Mishra.
“The forest ministers in the state had failed to take concrete measures for the conservation of tigers,” Mishra said, targeting the state forest and environment minister, Bikram Keshari Arukha.
Former Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Pattnaik also reacted strongly and said that Orissa has become one of the worst performing states, according to the nationwide tiger census figures released by the Union environment ministry three days ago.
“While the total tiger population in the country has increased from 1,706 in 2011 to 2,226 in 2014, showing a 30 per cent rise, the number of tigers in Orissa has declined from 32 to 28,” Pattnaik said.
“The issue is not about tiger alone. The more substantive issue is that the declining number of tigers is an indication of the overall state of the environment as the tiger occupies the top of the pyramid in the animal food chain,” he said.
“Deforestation is rampant and the corridors between different tiger habitats have been totally degraded. The government has failed to stop the poaching of tigers and the prey. With the merciless cutting of trees and illegal mining, the king of the jungle is becoming extinct in the state,” Pattnaik said.
Biju Janata Dal leaders, however, condemned the Congress statements. “It is not correct to conclude that the tiger population in Orissa has declined as the forest cover in the state has increased. The state government is concerned about the wildlife, forest and environment of the state,” said BJD MLA and spokesperson Amar Satpathy.