Talala Gir Kesar Keri Mangoes – get Geographical Indication for GI Registry Chennai

Geographical Indication's Registry in Chennai gave geographical indication (GI) tag to Talala Sasan Gir Kesar Mangoes and Bhalia wheat from Gujarat.

Junagadh Agriculture University and Gujarat Agro Industries had applied for the tag on behalf of Junagadh farmers.

The new status would help prevent sale of ordinary Kesar mangoes, grown mostly in Junagadh and Amreli districts, as Gir Kesar.

The entire area around the Gir sanctuary would be home to this variety and only those grown in this area would be known as Gir Kesar.

Mangoes from other parts of the state would be called Kesar though.

The taste of Kesar Keri from the Gir area was different from the varieties grown elsewhere.
The fine ranges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh under the Geographical Indication of Goods (registration and protection) Act, 1999.

Bhalia is a long grain of wheat grown without irrigation for centuries in the Bhal region of Gujarat.

The wheat has high protein content and has a sweet taste.

Bhal region is spread across Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad districts.

Sasan Gir National Park - આસપાસનાગામોના ૧૫૦૨૧ ખુલ્લાકૂવાસુરક્ષિત કરવાનું આયોજન

વિશ્વ પ્રસિદ્ધ ગીર અભ્યારણ્ય તથા નેશનલ પાર્કમાં ખુલ્લા કુવામાં અગાઊ સહ પડી જતા મૃત્યુ પામ્યાના બનાવના પગલે રાજય સરકારે સત્વરે ખુલ્લા કૂવાને સુરક્ષિત બનાવ્યા હતાં પરંતુ તેની આજુબાજુના વિસ્તારમાં કુલ ૧૫૦૨૧ જેટલા ખુલ્લા કૂવાઓ હજુ અસ્તિત્વમાં હોવાથી વન્ય પ્રાણીઓ કૂવામાં પડવાની ઘટના બનતી રહે છે.

તે રોકવા ગામના કૂવા ફરતે પ્રોટેકશન વૅલ બનાવવાનું આયોજન હાથ ધરવામાં આવ્યું છે. ગીર અભ્યારણ્ય અને નેશનલ પાર્કમાં ખુલ્લા કૂવા અંગેની જાણકારી મેળવવા જોડિયાના ધારાસભ્ય રાઘવજીભાઇ પટેલે ગાહમાં પૂછેલા પ્રશ્નનો લેખિતમાં ઊત્તર આપતા વનમંત્રી મંગુભાઇ પટેલે જણાવ્યું હતું કે ગીરના અભ્યારણ્ય તથા નેશનલ પાર્કમાં ખુલ્લા કૂવામાં વન્ય પ્રાણીના પડી જવાના પગલે મોત નિપજવાના બનાવો બનતા હતાં.

તેને ધ્યાનમાં લઇને તમામ ખુલ્લા કૂવાઓને પ્રોટેકશન વાલ, પેરાપીટ વાલ તથા લોખંડની જાળી વડે સુરક્ષિત કરવામાં આવતા વન્યપ્રાણીઓના કૂવામાં પડી જવાના અકસ્માતના બનાવો ઘટ્યા છે પંરતુ ગીર અભ્યારણ્યની આજુબાજુના વિસ્તારમાં સર્વે કરતા કુલ ૧૫૦૨૧ ખુલ્લા કૂવાઓ હોવાનું જાણવા મળ્યું છે.

વધુમાં જણાવતા વનમંત્રી મંગુભાઇ પટેલે કહ્યું કે ગીર તેમજ બૃહદ ગીર વિસ્તારના આસપાસ આવેલા ગામોના ખુલ્લા કૂવાઓમાં સહ તથા અન્ય વન્ય પ્રાણીઓને અકસ્માતે ખુલ્લા કૂવામાં પડતા રોકવા પ્રોટેકશન વાલ અથવા પેરાપીટ વાલ બાંધવાની યોજના અમલમાં મુકી છે અને તેને લીધે ૩૧ ડિસેમ્બર ૨૦૧૦ સુધીમાં કુલ ૧૨,૩૨૮ કૂવાઓને સુરક્ષિત કરવામાં આવ્યા છે.

આ સિવાયના બાકી રહેલા કે જાણમાં આવ્યા હોય તેવા ખુલ્લા કૂવાઓને સુરક્ષિત કરવાનું કામ પ્રગતિમાં છે.

Sasan Gir National Park Forest Jungle Asiatic Lions Junagadh News Gujarat India

Gir Asiatic lions at Sasan Gir National Park, Talala Junagadh District to wear a chip under their skin.

The Gujarat government has decided to install microchips under the skin of the lions in the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, the only abode of the Asiatic lions, to track their movements.

The decision was taken following a series of lion killings, both natural and accidental, an official spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said a control tower would also be set up in the sanctuary with global positioning system. The State has sanctioned Rs.40 crore for the project.

Girnar Mountain Temples Annual Lili Parikrama Junagadh City Gujarat India

Girnar Lili Parikrma will start at 29th October and this time will also ban for Plastic and Gutkha.

Around one million Hindus will participate in Girnar’s anual Lili Parikrama(Green pradakshina or circumambulation). The 36-km parikrama will start from 29th of October and end on 2nd November. According to Gujarati Hindu calendar Parikrama starts from Kartik 11 to 15 every year.

Girnar the tallest mountain of Gujarat is 6 km. from Junagadh city. On an average, about 7 lakh devotees attend the parikrama but as Gir forest has a lush green look after good monsoon this year, it may attract one million devotees. In year 2003 Parikrama had attracted 1.2 million devotees.

The History of Girnar Lili Parikrma in Junagadh is like that,"according to popular belief, after winning the war at Kurukshetra, Pandavas had done the parikarma to seek God’s blessings."

As the stretch of the Parikrama passes through the forest, it is an adventurous trip for the youngsters. After the rainfall, the ponds and rivers are full of water adding to the scenic beauty of the forest and hills, so this year many more youngsters will participate in the Parikrama. Youngsters see it as solving a dual purpose. They complete a ritual as they enjoy the beauty of Gir forest.

Early this week, the district collector of Junagadh chaired a meeting to discuss the arrangements. The meeting resulted in formation of Action Group for smoother implantation of various related works.

The state transport corporation has planned to arrange 150 extra buses, 20 more than last year to accommodate extra traffic of Lili Parikrama. Railway authority is planning to add extra coaches around Parikrama schedule.

The Parikrama will commence from Girnar Taleti, night halt at Jinabava Madhi, and MarvellaBordevi and return to the starting point on the fifth day.

The forest department has put a ban on plastic bags and gutkha. Anyone found violating the ban will be fined, said forest department officials.

Sasan Gir National Park Forest Sanctuary Junagadh District News Gujarat India

1,500 trees face the chop in Gir forest.

The state government which has been fighting tooth and nail for the exclusive custody of the Asiatic lions in the Gir forest has ordered cutting of over 1,500 trees to make room for residential plots. The land which has to be cleared of the trees is a territory of a pride of 6-7 lions.

The land, which spans over seven-acres, is surrounded by the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary on three sides, in the Rupayatan forest area of Bhavnath taleti in Junagadh City. About 450 reserve and 1,100 non-reserve trees are likely to be chopped down next week to make space for the construction of new houses.

These houses are to be built there for families who will be displaced during the clearing of the area around the Bhavnath temple. The land was lying unused for nearly 40 years and was acquired very recently from the Rupayatan Trust.

The proposal has aroused the ire of environment activists, botanists and residents of the region who believe the project would lead to 'deforestation' and do immense harm to the lions' habitat. Moreover, cutting down trees, some of which are over 40 years old, would lead to irreparable loss for the flora and fauna of the area.

Retired agriculture scientist Professor Rasik Bhatt of Junagadh University says people were alarmed when the project was announced last month. "Because of the dense forest, lions rest there during summer," he said. "There is another, smaller plot that we asked the Collector to consider for construction of the houses. That would have ensured that the lions will not be disturbed and deforestation would not take place."

Junagadh collector Ashwini Kumar conceded that some trees will be cut but refused to specify how many. He also conceded that the area is 'frequented' by lions. He, however, insisted that the plot is ideal for rehabilitating the displaced families and that wildlife conservation cannot be done at the cost of human life.

Girnar Mountain Parvat Temples Ropeway Project Junagadh News Gujarat India

Politics has taken front seat in the controversial Girnar Ropeway Project which plans constructing a ropeway to the Girnar shrine through the Gir sanctuary.

After much legal debate in Gujarat, the project is now finally awaiting clearance from the National Board for Wildlife in India. Activists in the state have raised a serious alarm over disturbing the vulture nests falling on the way of the proposed ropeway.

The state's ruling party BJP is lobbying for the clearance of the project, citing huge tourism opportunities for the locals of Junagadh.

However, at the Board's latest meeting on Wednesday, the issue "boomeranged" for the party, whose workers in Junagadh have been pushing for the approval of the project since decades.

Union minister of state, forest and environment, Jairam Ramesh said he would visit the site himself for inspection before giving approval. The political implications of this might prove tricky for BJP's MLA Mahendra Mashru, who is championing the cause of the Junagadh residents.

"He will have to host a Congress minister's visit to his constituency to get the permission," an activist close to the developments said, adding that after winning the Junagadh Corporation Elections, the Congress workers are active in the constituency and are expected to take credit of the clearance of the project.

"This will not serve the BJP's political purpose at all, but they are in a spot over this," he said.

Forest officials have admitted that over 12,000 trees are likely to be chopped for the project. After claiming that there are 'no' vulture nests in these trees to be affected by the ropeway project, the company constructing the ropeway has admitted in a written communication to NBWL of vulture nests in the region.

In the last meeting of NBWL in July, it was decided to get an expert report on the site.

The report conceded that several vulture nests will be permanently damaged because of the ropeway. An alternated route has been suggested in the report.

Feasibility of the alternate route is also expected to be examined during the minister's visit.

Junagadh City News- Bhavnath Temple(Mandir),Girnar Taleti

Junagadh trust plays by the rule, hands over govt land without fuss.

In a unique incident, a huge piece of government land under private occupation was returned to the rightful owner in Junagadh without any hue and cry.

The credit for this goes to Junagadh Collector Ashwini Kumar and Rupayatan Trust’s chairman Hemant Nanawati. When demanded by the district administration, the trust willingly returned the seven-acre plot to the state government.

The said land is located in Bhavnath Mandir area at the foot of the Girnar Mountain and surrounded by the Gir sanctuary.

The state government has adopted a plan to develop Bhavnath Mandir Area, which hosts two major melas every year, as a pilgrimage and tourist site.

To accommodate lakhs of visitors, it was deemed necessary to spare more land for the mela.

The administration felt the probability of any untoward incident during the gathering and decided to adopt preventive measures.

Ashwini Kumar said: “Earlier, the district administration had freed nearly seven hectares of government land from encroachment. It was decided to provide alternate space to some 200 residents of the area. Therefore, it became imperative to ask the land back from Rupayatan Trust. The trust responded in a positive manner and willingly handed over the plot. We have already implemented our plan and divided the land into nearly 200 plots, which will be allotted to the 200 families. The rehabilitation will be completed by the end of this month.”

Hemant Nanawati said: “Instead of indulging in a legal battle, the trustees took a positive stand and decided to handover the land.

Our policy is clear — we support development and constructive work. So, the trustees unanimously passed a resolution in response to the collector’s letter. Our trust is committed to the development of Bhavnath area, so we extended support to the district administration and the entire procedure was completed within two months without any hurdles.”

Earlier, in 1991, the government had allotted 40 hectares of land to the Rupayatan Trust for educational purpose.

Junagadh District News – Sasan Forest,Gir Sanctuary

Gir Sanctuary to be closed from June 16 to Oct 15.

Schools have reopened and people are trudging back to routine lives.

But, it's now the turn of Asiatic Lions of Gir to go on vacation as Gir sanctuary will be closed from June 16 to October 15 for visitors.

"According to Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, all sanctuaries and national parks are closed for visitors for a certain period," explained Conservator of Forests M M Sharma.

"Apart from the fact that jungle tracks are not conducive for vehicle travel in monsoon, the main reason for closure is that this period is mating season for lions," Sharma added.

Junagadh District News – Gir National Park,Sasan Gir Jungle Tourism

Tourist inflow to the Gir National Park in Gujarat, the world's only natural habitat for the rare majestic Asiatic lions, has dipped due to the intense heat.

This year several factors have affected the number of tourists and wildlife enthusiasts from visiting the sanctuary.Apart from the rise in mercury, global recession and the Indian Premier League cricket tournament have distracted the prospective visitors to this place.

Consequently, allied services such as hotels, travel agents and taxi operators have been adversely hit.

"Due to the heat and the IPL cricket matches, the tourist inflow is less. There are about 70 vehicles here. Sometimes we take one or two trips to the Park, but now it is even once in three to four days sometimes. The business is quite bad," said Rafiq, a taxi driver.

However, the officials manning the sanctuary sounded optimistic by saying that this is just a seasonal phenomenon and the tourist inflow would increase when the heat decreases.

They also pointed out that there is a particular time to visit the park as such tourist inflow is not that bad.

"For the time being this maybe the reason. But we are getting more tourists. Everyday the number is increasing. And there is a time to visit the forest," said Sandeep Kumar Singh, Divisional Forest Officer, Gir National Park.

Established in the year 1965, the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary covers a total area of 1412 kilometers (about 258 kilometers for the fully protected area (the National Park) and 1153 kilometers for the Sanctuary).

This region is regarded as one of the most important protected areas in Asia.

Junagadh District News – Girnar Mountain and Gir Forest Sanctuary

New water holes made for big cats.

With lions wandering into newer territories, 113 Water holes have been made in Amreli, Bhavnagar and Junagadh districts to quench their thirst.

A large number of big cats have moved out of Gir Sanctuary and made these areas their permanent home. As a result, the state government has got ponds constructed there.

Officials said artificial water holes have been constructed regularly for the past few years. Lion population in 2005 census was 359. Of these, it is estimated that at least 100 lions have wandered outside the sanctuary.

This figure is expected to be higher in the census due next year, they added. Officials said construction of such large number of water holes is an indication that the big cats have found a home away from Gir Sanctuary.

Lions have made areas like Dhari, Khambha, Palitana and banks of river Shetrunji their permanent home.

Conservator of forests (Gir) MM Sharma says "The water holes are being constructed since 2007. There are 546 such artificial water holes in Gir."

Around 70-odd lions have regained lost territory in areas facing water shortage. Spots for water holes were fixed based on reports from officials and villagers. Only five new water holes have been made in Gir Sanctuary because of failure of existing ones.

A senior officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, said a debate is on on the need to protect lions from unnatural deaths.

Experts feel the most important long-term conservation measure is establishing at least one more free-ranging population of lions which can grow to be sufficiently large and also be isolated from the Gir population.

Sasan Gir National Park Junagadh District Gujarat India

If you are in the Gir forests to watch the Asiatic lion, don’t be surprised to find women forest guards in the woods. It’s another male bastion which has been busted.

Gujarat forest department has sought to break the barrier, by introducing for the first time a large number of women guards and foresters in the jungles.

Of the 307 forest guards recruited through special camps in districts over the last one year, 51 are women. And out of 180 foresters recruited at four zonal camps held this May in Surat, Junagadh, Vadodara and Gandhinagar as many as 44 are women.

Till these recruitment, there were just two women working in the forests and both were Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers. Anita Karn is posted in Junagadh and Aradhana Sahu in Mehsana.

Fourteen women foresters have been posted in Gir and their boss, Anita Karn, is happy to have them around. “They have been quite useful in gathering information, carrying out raids and talking to womenfolk in the forests,” she told TOI over phone.

Aradhana Sahu added: “Lady Forest staffers are proving to be extremely useful in every sector, be it joint forest management, in which involvement of village women is critical, or guiding tourists in the wild and guarding wildlife.”

Forest officials in Gandhinagar say the women were recruited on the basis of their physical fitness and knowledge of neighboring forest areas. The physical test included long jump, high jump and rock-climbing. “We are happy such a large number of women applied for the jobs and also made it in the end,” said a senior forest official.