State wildlife board set up, CM to head it

Hyderabad:The Telangana government has announced the constitution of the State Board for Wildlife with 31 members including officials, experts on different aspects of wildlife and forests. The term of the new SBWL will be for three years and it will be headed by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy as the chairperson with Minister for Forests and Environment Konda Surekha as the vice-chairperson.

Among the duties of the board are vetting proposals for use of forest land for non-forestry purposes, especially where any kind of wildlife presence is reported from, selection of forest areas to be declared as protected areas, formulation of policies for protection and conservation of wild animals and specified plants, and measures to harmonize the needs of tribal communities living in forests with conservation and wildlife preservation goals.

The Board, which has a three year term, has five legislators are members – Vedama Bojju (Khanapur), Vamsi Krishna (Achampet), Murli Naik Bukya (Mahbubabad), Ramdas Maloth (Wyra), and Payam Venkateswarulu (Pinapaka). Also finding a place on the Board are Farida Tampal from WWF-India, Imran Siddiquir from Hyticos, Dr Vausdeva Rao and Dr Ch Srinivasulu from the Agriculture and Osmania universities respectively. Also on the Board will be Dr Umapathi from LaCONES, and Avinash Viswanathan from Friends of Snakes Society.

The Board will also have senior forest department officials, and officials drawn from various other departments as its members, and is mandated to meet at least twice a year.