PANAJI: Minister for Forest and Environment Rajendra Arlekar on Tuesday said that replenishing the Bondla zoo with new animals is a difficult task as the animals are generally brought to the zoos, all over the country, by way of exchange of animals between the zoos, and Bondla zoo has no sufficient animals for such exchange.
“However, the state government has requested the Central Zoo Authority to provide animals such as tiger, hippopotamus and so on to the Bondla zoo,” he told the pressmen, adding that the recent death of the tiger named Rana at the Bondla zoo, due to old age, was a great loss to the zoo.
Speaking further, Arlekar said that Goa does not need the post of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. “The state is too small for this post and could easily carry on with the additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, even if the state has 33 per cent forest cover,” he opined. Presently, Ajai Saxena is holding the post of the PCCF.
He said that if the central government is of the view that Saxena should stay back in Goa, then the government will have no problem. “However, I am of the opinion that there are too many IFS officers in Goa, presently their number stands at 14, and therefore, the government has stopped two new IFS officers from arriving in Goa,” he added, maintaining that lower number of IPS officers in Goa would result in faster promotions for Goan forest officers.
It was also informed that the state government has not received any reply from the National Wildlife Board (NWB) about declaring wild boar as vermin in Goa. It may be recalled that the State Wildlife Board had recommended to the National Wildlife Board (NWB) about declaring the species of wild boar as vermin.
Arlekar also said that the government is thinking about granting temporary labour status to the non-regularised workers of the forest department.