J&K Government Revokes Blacklist of NGO Wildlife Trust of India
New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir government has lifted the earlier blacklist it had placed on the prominent wildlife conservation charity Wildlife Trust of India.
The blacklisting order was issued on April 29, and the order lifting the blacklist was issued on June 2 after the WTI repaid the full amount it had received from the J&K Wildlife Department. Both orders were signed by J&K’s principal chief conservator Chaturbhuja Behera.
The orders pertain to a project on preparing a conservation plan for Tatakuti wildlife sanctuary. The earlier order had said that the WTI, which is among the leading NGOs in India’s wildlife conservation sector, “failed to complete the deliverables” as per a Rs 10.7 lakh one-year contract signed with J&K forest department in 2022.
The more recent order revoking the blacklisting says that while there had been several delays in this particular project, "Considering its past contributions regarding Markhor, the blacklisting of WTI as an organization is revoked."
The WTI has welcomed the June 2 decision, saying in a statement:
"We are grateful to the Wildlife Protection Department, Jammu & Kashmir, for revoking the blacklisting following discussions with our senior management. During these discussions, we clarified many of the department's concerns and assured them that the remaining issues would be addressed in the revised submission of the management plan
"We remain committed to our long-standing association with the department and to the conservation of Jammu & Kashmir's rich biodiversity. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts and contributing meaningfully to wildlife conservation in the region."
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