Ensure water for blackbucks, NGT tells Haryana government

New Delhi, May 23:  The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday asked the Haryana government to ensure drinking water for the blackbucks in the state's Fatehabad disitrct.

The tribunal also asked the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to ensure availability of water for animals near a proposed power plant in Gorakhpur village of the district.

The bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, gave the directive during the hearing of a PIL filed by Bishnoi Samaj. The petition said that blackbucks were dying in the region of thirst and sometimes hunted by stray dogs or poachers.

"The Haryana government should ensure availability of water for the animals and form water holes immediately," the bench said.

Listed 'near threatened', the blackbuck or Indian antelope is sparsely found in Haryana.