The State chief wildlife warden has said he would like to go for a scientific study on the impact of helicopter flights on the flora and fauna in Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary before taking a decision on the issue.
He said this in response to media reports citing the 2013 report of the then divisional forest officer of Kedarnath wildlife division that had stated that indiscriminate flights by commercial helicopters to Kedarnath were proving detrimental to the wildlife and flora in the wildlife sanctuary.
Talking to The Pioneer, the chief wildlife warden DVS Khati said that the report of the Kedarnath wildlife DFO submitted in 2013 was made by the official about a couple of months after he was posted to the area.
He said, "I would like to go for a proper scientific study on the impact of helicopter services on the wildlife sanctuary before taking a decision on this issue. I will also study the Wildlife Protection Act to ascertain whether its provisions are being met," he said.
Regarding whether any action will be taken against the helicopter companies, Khati said that at present the helicopter flights are not being operated.
It should be noted here that the then DFO of Kedarnath wildlife division Akash Kumar Verma had in his 2013 report to the chief wildlife warden stated that nine helicopter companies had been allowed to operate flights to Kedarnath with each allowed 19 rounds in a day. The flights were operated from the southern part of Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary to the Kedarnath shrine in the northern part of the sanctuary. With numerous flights of choppers, some seen flying as low as 100 metres from the ground causing major noise pollution, sightings of wildlife like goral, tahr and bear which were common here had become rare. Stating that tahr and musk deer (Schedule I) had shifted from this area possibly due to noise pollution from helicopters, the report had added that the sightings of Himalayan vulture which nests in the area had also decreased and their mating could also be affected by the chopper flights. The DFO had further stated in his report that birds and butterflies shifting out of this area due to noise from helicopters was affecting the pollination of Thuner (taxus baccata) and seed dispersal of various flora by birds.
It is pertinent to mention here that the DFO's report was put on the back burner as the focus of the government machinery had shifted to the June 2013 disaster. Meanwhile, People of Animals, Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi has also written to the chief wildlife warden stating that the number of helicopter companies operating in the region has increased to 16. She has demanded that action should be taken against the helicopter companies under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.