Kolkata, Dec 8 (PTI) The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed state forest department officials to strictly ensure adherence to laws for prevention of cruelty to animals and birds, amid reports of rampant illegal wildlife trade in West Bengal.

Appearing for the state in a suo motu writ petition initiated by the high court, Advocate General Kishore Datta said that due to the state's geographic location and the prevailing socio-economic scenario of the region, West Bengal has become a major transit point for illicit wildlife trade.

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The state government told the court that control of the illegal trade poses a major challenge to the forest department of West Bengal, which shares its border with Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee directed the official respondents in the matter to make sure that laws governing prevention of cruelty to animals and birds are abided by.

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The division bench directed that the contents of the order shall percolate to offices and officers concerned.

The court further ordered that separate action-taken reports with regard to the activities carried forward on the basis of this order be placed on record by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the DGP, West Bengal Police, before the next date of hearing.

The bench directed that the matter would be heard again on January 19.

The AG, in his submission, stated that the Dooars and the Terai region of North Bengal as well as Kolkata are used as a transit route by the miscreants involved in illicit wildlife trade.

The North-East and Bhutan seems to be the place from where the animals are sent largely to China via Nepal, the AG submitted before the court.

Live birds, turtles, snakes and other wildlife are also smuggled to Bangladesh from Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and other states via South Bengal and Kolkata, Datta said.

He told the court that the wildlife wing of the forest department has seized many birds, snakes, turtles, mongoose and arrested smugglers and traders.

Datta submitted that 16 sanctuaries and six national parks have been created in West Bengal to protect wildlife.

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