21 July 2025: The Hindu Editorial

1. Human-Wildlife Conflict in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur

Source –  Page 4, The Hindu Delhi Edition

Topic: GS3 – Environment & Ecology; GS1 – Geography (Human Settlements)

Context

A surge in human-tiger conflicts in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur area has resulted in casualties, raising questions about habitat management and conservation policy.

Background: Chandrapur forest hosts India’s highest tiger population density, with increasing cases of human casualties, mostly attributed to habitat fragmentation and encroachment.

Emergence of Conflict:

• Rising tiger population has not matched habitat expansion.
• Expansion of villages, farmlands, highways, and tiger tourism have confined tigers to smaller spaces, increasing encounters.
• 25 deaths reported in first half of 2025, primarily in buffer and territorial zones.

Causes:

• Urbanisation, land fragmentation, and reduced natural prey are major drivers.
• Female tigers and sub-adults, pushed by territorial fights, tend to approach human settlements.

Official Measures:

• Forest department installing camera traps, forming response teams, using real-time surveillance, and community awareness drives.
• Long-term tension between local livelihoods and wildlife security; issues of compensation, translocation, and scientific management.

Socio-cultural Aspects:

• Local rituals and beliefs linked to tiger attacks.
• Demand for more guards during forest resource collection.

Practice Question: “Human-wildlife conflict is a major impediment to India’s conservation goals. Analyse the factors behind rising human-tiger conflicts with reference to recent incidents in Maharashtra, and propose a comprehensive management strategy.

2. Aviation Safety and Regulatory Reform in India

Source -Page 6, The Hindu Delhi Edition

Topic: GS3 – Infrastructure (Transport); GS2 – Governance & Accountability

Context

A detailed editorial following the Ahmedabad air crash calls attention to systemic regulatory failures in Indian civil aviation and the urgent need for reform.

Key Issues:

• Accidents are the consequence of multi-layered systemic neglect, not isolated pilot errors.
• Regulatory failures in DGCA, Air Traffic Control, and safety due to dilution of statutory safeguards.
• Building approvals near airports, underqualified maintenance staff, overworked pilots and engineers, and ignoring duty-time limitations endanger lives.

Judicial Interventions:

• PILs played a pivotal role in stopping hazardous construction and exposing systemic risks.

Governance Gaps:

• Regulatory capture: safety overseers are themselves often accountable for violations.
• Whistle-blower suppression discourages reporting of safety issues.
• Value of human life compromised for ease of business or infrastructure growth.

Comparison:

• International best practices demand strict, independent, and well-resourced oversight agencies (e.g., FAA, EASA).
• India remains reliant on external clearances for critical airworthiness issues.

Analysis:

• Incentivising profit over safety, skill shortages, lack of transparent mechanisms for redressal and NOC management.

Conclusion/Way Forward:

Immediate reforms in regulatory oversight, enhanced powers and independence for DGCA, strong whistle-blower protection, and judicial accountability are necessary to protect public safety.

Practice Question: “Critically analyse the role of regulatory failures in recent aviation accidents in India. Recommend a roadmap to ensure aviation safety and public accountability.

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