Vadodara: The next time a snake rescuer turns up in your colony, ask for his or her identity card before the rescue operation. In a bid to crack down on those indulging in illegal activities under the pretext of snake rescue operations, the forest department has decided to allow only authorized persons to conduct snake rescues. It is a first of its kind initiative in the country for creating teams of authorised and professional snake rescuers.
Shyamal Tikadar, chief wildlife warden, Gujarat, on Tuesday shot off a letter to the chief conservator of forests (CCFs) as well as all conservator of forests (CFs), instructing them to create snake rescue teams across the state. He said that no unauthorized persons should be allowed to carry out snake rescues. Tikadar said in the circular that if any unauthorized person is found rescuing snakes, he or she shall be booked under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Vadodara: Close to 40 cases of Covid-19 have been detected in Nandesari GIDC over the last few days. Nandesari GIDC Association chairman, Babu Patel, however, said that there was no sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases.
“There has been no massive spike in the Covid-19 cases here. About 40 cases were detected in the GIDC over the last few days. All the units are working normally and the firm managements are following the guidelines to ensure the safety of their staff,” Patel told TOI. He added that a vaccination drive will be started in Nandesari GIDC from Friday wherein everyone about the age of 45 will be vaccinated.
Vadodara: Two members of the dreaded Bicchu Gang, that has been booked under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime Act (GCTOC), were arrested by the detection of crime branch (DCB) on Wednesday. The two, identified as Azhuruddin alias Ajju Sheikh and Irfan Sheikh were nabbed from Yakutpura after the cops received a tip-off about their whereabouts.
Crime branch sleuths informed that the two were on the run over the last couple of months and stayed in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Rajasthan. Azharuddin was also wanted in a robbery case that was registered against him in 2016 at Panigate police station. The duo was remanded to police custody for 15 days on Wednesday.
Vadodara: The budget booklet of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) sparked a major debate regarding Covid-19 data. In the booklet, to highlight the work done by the fire department it has been stated that 1,600 calls of Covid-19 body disposals were handled by the department a figure much higher than the official data.
The same booklet, however, while mentioning work done by the health department states that 236 persons had died due to Covid-19 including 99 Covid deaths and 137 non-Covid deaths. The figures of both departments are part of the draft of the commissioner’s statement on the budget.
The VMC budget was presented on March 15 and the budget speech, as well as other material, is typically prepared a few days in advance and usually finalised on the budget eve. On March 31, the death toll as per official figures had climbed up to 250. This was still much lesser than the figures of bodies handled by the fire department as per the budget.
This Dagri cow breed is pure white in colour while in some cases the rear legs are brownish
VADODARA/ ANAND: ‘Dagri cow’ which is found in the tribal heartland of Central Gujarat has got national recognition paving way for conservation and preservation of its genes.
After Gir, Kankrej and Dangi, Dagri is the fourth indigenous breed of cow from Gujarat to get national recognition from the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), the nodal agency of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) that registers the new breeds.
“We had prepared the report and submitted it to NBAGR in 2019. This breed has distinct characteristics because of which it has received national recognition,” said Dr K B Kathiria, vicechancellor of Anand Agricultural University (AAU). Kathiria, who is also director of research at AAU, had first noticed this distinct breed during field visits to Dahod a couple of years ago.