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HYDERABAD, Nov 21: The Sindh minister for forests, wildlife, and environment, Hassan Ali Chaniho has directed the officials of the wildlife department to take strict action against the poachers and hunters of animals and birds and spare no one whoever he may be.
He was presiding over a meeting of the officials of the wildlife department at the Miani forest here the other day.
The provincial secretary for wildlife and forests, Shamsul Haq Memon was also present on the occasion.
He expressed grave concern over the sale and purchase of rare animals and birds in Karachi and said that he had been informed that some unscrupulous people were hunting down rare species of animals and birds.
He called upon the officials, especially the game wardens, to perform their duty fearlessly and protect the endangered species at all cost.
He said that check posts should be set up at vulnerable points to check the crime.
Mr Chaniho said the protection of the Keerthar National Park and lakes, which had been declared as sanctuaries, was the national duty of the wildlife department.
The secretary of the department, Shamsul Haq Memon, informed the meeting that an amount of Rs3.15 million was recovered under the head of shooting, possession, trapping, permit, and compensation upto Oct 2001, while an amount of Rs6.10 million was recovered during the year 2000-2001.
He said the income of the department during 2001-2002 upto Oct 2001 had been Rs1 million from hunting licences, and added that so far 166 hunting licences had been issued.
He further said that upto Oct, 559 cases of illegal hunting and sale of protected animals and birds had been detected and Rs594,412 had been recovered as fine.
The conservator, wildlife, Sindh, Muneer Ahmed Awan informed the meeting that during the current season, temporary hunting licences had been issued but a limit had been imposed, and added that the culprits exceeding this limit would be heavily penalized.
EXAM BOYCOTT: The students of the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Mechanical department 98-batch on Tuesday boycotted the examination paper of fluid machinery as the paper was reportedly out of course.
The students came out of the examination hall, staged a protest demonstration and raised slogans against the university administration.
The law enforcement agencies threw a cordon around the campus to prevent any untoward incident.
A group of affected students told Dawn that it was the worst paper of the last three years and had been set by a newly-appointed teacher who had earlier left or was made to leave the NED university.
They said that they also called upon the chairman of the department but he also refused to redress their grievances. Thereafter, they claimed that they went to the vice chancellor who first refused to talk to them, then agreed to change three questions, and later withdrew the offer.
VICE CHANCELLOR’S VERSION: The vice chancellor of the University, Dr A.R. Memon when contacted on the telephone made it clear that all the students boycotting the paper would be declared failed and would have to appear in the supplementary examination.
The vice chancellor, however, admitted that three questions of the paper were changed but refuted the students that the offer of changing three questions was withdrawn by him.
He said that even after three questions had been changed the students continued their boycott.
