To The President of India Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi - 110 004 ‘Sub: Corruption at National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) [erstwhile Project Ti Office] F & atrocit itted; Request for justice Reg: Dear Sir, I worked as Biodiversity Specialist in the ‘Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement Project’ (BCRLIP) funded by the World Bank (GEF/IDA) at the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on a consolidated lump sum salary of Rs. 26,000/- per month. C 3-406 d+ |63-04) The Major Project preparation assignment work of BCRLIP is given to the PEACE Institute Charitable Trust, New Delhi and, a smaller part on Social & Environmental Assessment to ATREE, Bangalore. It may be observed that the Team coordinator of consultant's PEACE Institute Charitable Trust, Shri. Manoj Misra is an IFS officer himself, It may be noted that the BCRLI Project has been custom made according to the NTCA’s need so that it can facilitate siphoning off the money (about Rs. 200 Crores) which is meant for a good purpose like Conservation of Biological Diversity. Alll the proof available’ is being sent for verification, along with this letter in the form of Documents and a CD containing recorded conversations of Member Seerciary (NTCA), Joint Director (NTCA), Project Officer’s (Admin & Procurement), BCRLIP. I had to tolerate unhygienic work conditions”, abusive language” and uncivilized behavior" of my employers. The bare minimum facilities for undertaking my job™”'“* were not provided even after making several requests. I had to send an e-mail to the Member Secretary, NTCA on 27" February, 2007 highlighting the difficulties that I faced in the office. It is true that some one did recommend” my name initially for the post of Biodiversity Specialist but I was qualified enough to undertake my job’ since I have worked on biosystematics (which is known as the backbone of Biodiversity Conservation) during my Ph.D study program at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). Sir, if I am getting paid, I should be doing my duty for which I was recruited. In response to my sincerity towards work, on 2™ March, 2007, I was verbally abused" by Shri. Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary (NTCA) along with the Joint Director Shri. Ganga Singh, They tried to intimidate“ me and victimize™”’ me saying that I did not do any work till date and threatened me with immediate suspension “”*'. On earlier ‘occasions too, Shri, Rajesh Gopal had given me indirect threats like “usko hindi mein samjha dho” to prevent me ftom undertaking my duty. On 8" March, 2007, I sent my work to the World Bank’ and also informed about my plight and the major lacuna’ Observed in the Project Report. I requested to change the name of the project 10 something meaningful since the methodology undertaken for Biodiversity Conservation in the BCRLI Project was found to be totally wrong. It may be noted that the methodology followed in the Project Preparation Guidelines ‘A User’s Manual” and 2Draft Report” of the Project can ultimately lead to decimation of Biodiversity and not its conservation’, Why should the MoEF bother about Environment and Biodiversity when their ultimate aim is to eat away the money allocated for such projects meant for conserving national wealth? ie Our country is one among the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world’. By and large, people in India are not aware that our national stakes in Biodiversity wealth are of the order of more than 80,000 known species of animals and 45,000 species of plants, of which 15,000 are known to be of medicinal value“. Almost 3,200 wild relatives of agricultural crops and 131 wild relatives of domesticated animals are found in India”, It is estimated that 33% of all endemic species of our country are facing the threat of extinction. Once lost, we lose them for ever’ since they are the end products of millions of years of evolution, The conservation of soil, water and biodiversity are vital for the welfare of present and future generations’. It may be noted that Biodiversity is the raw ‘material sustaining biological research undertaken at the thousands of laboratories existing in our country today. Biodiversity Conservation is of utmost importance. In the Draft Final Report (DFR)'~"” of the BCRLI Project, the maps supplied b; the PEACE consultants are not of 1:50,000 scale as promised in their user manual . Proper maps are the primary requirement for any landscape level Biodiversity Conservation project so that all the stressors can be laid out on the maps. Although Rs.10,00000 (10 lakh) " was shown as GIS" requirement for preparing Landscape Maps by the consultants PEACE, the maps provided with the DFR are not worth even Rs, 1000. Better maps can be constructed without the help of GIS. The whole Project Report is not worth even Rs.1 lakh. It may be noted that the consultants M/S PEACE were paid more than Rs. 1.5 Crore and also well protected by the Member Secretary (NTCA) to prepare a substandard Project Report”, The methodology for Biodiversity Conservation followed by the consultants in the DFR” is wrong and the same is the case with Rural Livelihood indicators. Without proper baselines and indicators, a Project cannot be monitored. In such projects, money can easily be siphoned off since there is no quantifieation and thus no accountability. I was forced to send a Note’ on 29" Jan, 2007 to the Member Secretary, NTCA since he was favoring the PEACE Institute. All the statements made on the Note’ are true to the best of my knowledge. The correct methodology for Biodiversity Conservation involves scientific verification of facts from already published literature on the basis of which Biologically Sensitive Area’s (BSA’S) can be designated, which can then be given priority of protection. The methodology followed by the consultants of the PEACE Institute charitable trust wherein they have unscientifically surveyed portions of Landscapes to come up with Baselines is wrong. Now ¢ day's comuption is not a big issue. If all the Projects run by the MoEF are verified, the true nature of corruption could emerge out. At least for the purpose of transparency and accountability, all the Projects run by the MoEF, their Consultants involved and their stage of progress and methodology followed should be displayed on the MoEF website for Public good. This is the only way to reduce corruption. If this is not done, in future, our country may lose all the forest wealth because of ‘conservation’ taken up by MoBF. It may be noted that Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement at landscape level has to ideally involve the participation of different stakeholders like Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Rural Development, and various NGO's working in the respective Landscapes. Only then it can eobe a participatory approach leading to some meaningful development and Conservation of Biological Diversity of our country. T wish to point out the fact that, the job of Biodiversity Specialist’ is highly technical in nature and the job not only requires in depth scientific knowledge but also intellect to solve practical real time difficulties’ existing in the field, which can lead to Biodiversity Conservation. The person who undertakes such a job should not be exploited” to do unwanted office file work or menial jobs’ and he should be treated with at least minimum dignity. The nature of job involves lot of library reference work’ and the Specialist should not be prevented from undertaking his job by restricting his movement" to the room adjacent to a filthy toilet™” in the office. A hygienic office atmosphere is the first requirement for any productive work. Although a sanctioned budget of Rs, 5 lakh” was allotted for office expenses during Project Preparation activities, even basic necessities like computer, printer, papers ete were not provided’ on repeated requests, This fact can be verified from the audio files"”"'”" in CD. I was recruited as Biodiversity Specialist, BCRLI Project on 3" July 2006 based on an interview’ conducted by the Project Tiger Office on 17" October, 2005. I had resigned my previous job as Research Associate at Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in order to join the Project Tiger Office’. | felt cheated by the Project Tiger Office (NTCA) when I was informed by the Joint Director Shri. J. P. Misra that I did not have the right to take holidays even on Saturday or Sunday. The Member Secretary NTCA Shri. Rajesh Gopal can be heard (in CD)" abusing me saying that I don't deserve to get a salary of 26,000/- pm. Kindly note that the four Biodiversity Specialists working for PEACE Institute Charitable Trust, whose work I was supposed to supervise, were drawing a salary 5 times more’ than what I got but they ‘were incompetent in their work”. They were paid an individual salary of more than Rs. One lakh per month (1 person - Rs, 1,35000/- pm, and 3 persons x Rs. 1,05000/- per month respectively) but they did not even know the basic methodology to be followed for Biodiversity Conservation, The exorbitant salaries’ paid to the PEACE team for undertaking a substandard work indicate how the PEACE consultants have been favored by MoEF. It may be noted that even the Biodiversity Specialist of ATREE Bangalore, whose work I was supposed to supervise, was drawing a salary of Rs. 40,000/- per month”. It seems, the MoEF has given Member Secretary, NTCA, special powers to recruit a person on daily wages “”’ as Biodiversity Specialist by paying him a lump-sum of 26,000/- per month even without any holiday benefit. Sir, I have not been paid the salary for February 2007 and also until 14 March when I had worked at NTCA Office. If the pending salary is paid, at least I'll be in a position to file my first income tax return this year. Sir, the Sariska debacle led to the formation of Tiger Task Force which came up with 2 Report “Joining the Dots”. The reason for the disappearance of Tigers from Sariska was attributed to a complex of problems but no where was ‘corruption existing in the Project Tiger Office’ mentioned. If, in a Project of about Rs. 200 Crores (BCRLIP) min by the Project Tiger Office, even a minimum facility like a monitor, printer or paper for printing cannot be purchased for the specialists who are supposed to monitor the Project, one can imagine the level of corruption existing in this office. Not even the minimum money is being spent here for any good purpose. The same kind of corruption could be one among the major reasons for vanishing Tigers. If the Tribal People inhabiting the Tiger reserves are given a chance to keep a check on how much at