Bandipora seizes gun licences to fight bird poaching

Winged visitors can make merry again in the paradise, thanks to the Jammu and Kashmir government. The government has asked all the gun licence holders of Bandipora district to deposit their weapons in the police stations to prevent the poaching of the migratory birds in the famed Wullar Lake.

What's the significance of Wullar lake?
Situated in the north Kashmir's Bandiproa district, Wullar lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. The lake is winter home to thousands of migratory birds from different parts of the world.
However, massive slitting, rampant plantation, unabated encroachment, untreated sewerage and solid waste dumping have adversely affected the eco system of the lake. Coupled with man's greed, the lake is dying a silent death. Figures released recently in the Legislative Assembly reveal that the area of the Wullar Lake was 217.58 sq km, including 58.37 sq km of associated marshes in 1911. As per the new revenue records of J&K, the actual area excluding the associated marshes has now
shrunk to 130 sq km.

What prompted the ban on guns?
"There were repeated complaints of poaching of migratory birds in the Wullar Lake. I thought the better way to do it is to nip the evil in the bud and get back these guns back from them," Shah Faesal, district
collector of Bandipora, told dna.

How many gun licence holders are in the district?
Official figures reveal that there are more than 300 gun licence holders in Bandipora. Most of the time the poachers used these guns to hunt down the avian guests which not only scares away the birds but
creates ecological imbalance in the lake.

"All the gun licence holders of the district except tehsil Gurez and Tulail have been asked to deposit their guns in the nearby police stations within a week, failing which their gun licences will be cancelled and action under Section-10 of the J&K Wildlife Protection Act 1978 will be initiated against the violators," an official spokesman said. Five national parks, 14 sanctuaries Official figures reveal total protected area in Jammu and Kashmir is 15,806 sq km. The state has five national parks, 14 wildlife sanctuaries and 37 conservation reserves.