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• Trains will soon be `flying' to Kashmir
• Lucknow zoo uses artificial incubation to save rare bird species
• Efforts on to contain Himachal forest blaze
  
  

Trains will soon be `flying' to Kashmir (Go To Top)

          Chennai/New Delhi: It will in probability be a first for the Indian Railways or for railways anywhere in the world. Keen to get the train service between Qazigund and Baramulla of the ground as soon as possible, Indian Railway engineers have reportedly approached the Indian Air Force with a proposal to airlift 2450-ton train bogies from various factories in South India to make the first-ever train service in this remote area of Jammu and Kashmir operational. According to the Daily Times, the engineers have decided to start the Qazigund-Baramulla rail service without waiting for the completion of the entire track. Due to an underground lake near Katra in Jammu, the tunnelling and laying of tracks along the Pir Panchal mountain range has been put on hold. "We are consulting the Indian Air Force (IAF) for assistance and in all probability it may work out. We are also exploring the feasibility of using the services of some of the airlines of Central Asian Republics (CAR)," the paper quoted Northern Railways Chief Public Relation officer D.P.S. Sandhu, as saying.
June 11, 2004

Lucknow zoo uses artificial incubation to save rare bird species (Go To Top)

          Lucknow: Officials at a zoo in Lucknow are using artificial incubators to hatch chicks of rare bird species as many of the feathered mommies have abandoned their eggs. In recent years, the zoo has seen a sharp decline in population of rare species like the Australiam Emu, Golden peagent and the Red Jungle Fowl as the inexperienced and often unreliable mother birds have not been able to breed in captivity. Alarmed officials have taken recourse to techonology and have been able to successfuly hatch 80 percent of the abandoned eggs. All the chicks born till now are healthy and growing fast. Eva Sharma, director of the Lucknow Zoo, said their biggest success was with the extremely rare Red Jungle Fowl. "We have begun putting the eggs in the incubator. We keep the eggs at a certain temperature and humidity, there is also an auto-tilting facility. Recently, we hatched a rare red jungle fowl. We hope to hatch more birds of rare species this year," she said. The incubation process however is often the result of trial and error as the three main factors-temperature, humidity and turning, essential for a successful hatch, can never really be determined to 100 percent accuracy. The zoo authorities say they are taking no chances and have taken the help of experienced bird breeders and ornithologists.
June 3, 2004

Efforts on to contain Himachal forest blaze (Go To Top)

          Shimla: Fire fighters in Himachal Pradesh are battling a massive blaze that has spread across the dense forest surrounding capital Shimla. An abnormally-early heat wave which has sent temperatures soaring to as high as 41 degrees fuelled the summer winds, sending thousands of acres of forests up in flames. Authorities are working round the clock making "fire lines", which are drawn by burning all the forest waste and dry leaves along the roads in the park to prevent spreading of the blaze.

          Officials are particularly worried about ill-informed villagers who are setting up smaller blazes to clear land for herb cultivation. Forest officers are now visiting villages and are conducting an awareness campaign amongst the people about fire prevention and control. "During the summers when the temperature rises and there is less moisture, such incidents of forest fire are not uncommon. Our effort is to control the fire as soon as it starts. We are trying to involve the locals in this," R. A Singh, chief conservator of forests in the state, said. Forests in Himachal Pradesh comprise 66 percent of the area forming an important natural resource.

          Most of the forest fires break out in the summer months of April, May, June and July every year and destroy the varied flora and fauna. "Such fires have some ripple effects. First the quality of vegetation, normally after a fire the vegetation is of inferior quality. Second, of course the people are affected. The water species are also affected," Om Prakash, an environmentalist, said. Authorities say less rains last winter have compounded the problem as huge patches of jungles are extremely dry making them susceptible to fire outbreaks.
June 2, 2004

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