the sarus Crane, the state bird of Uttar Pradesh (up), might become collateral damage in the state's effort to reclaim wasteland for agriculture. The move, manifested as the Rs 1,300 crore up Sodic Land Reclamation (upslr) project , is once again threatening up's wetlands, a crucial habitat of the red-headed Sarus Crane and a source of livelihood for the people of the area.

It is feared that the upslr project's moves might drain out the wetlands, flouting a 2001 order of the Allahabad High Court. The court had found that the project was draining water from the wetlands in the Etawah and Mainpuri districts, the habitat of 30 per cent of India's stock of the rare Sarus Crane (see Down To Earth,