Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said the state will not propose that any area be declared as a tiger reserve since it is not feasible under the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The statement drew criticism from environmental activists.
Talking to reporters, Sawant said the first meeting of the State Wildlife Board held on Wednesday resolved not to pass any resolution seeking to declare forest areas in Goa as a tiger reserve. The state does not fulfill the criteria set for tiger reserves by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, he said.
Several NGOs had demanded that forest areas of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary be declared as a tiger reserve as the big cats are present there. Sawant said the State Wildlife Board has given clearance for the construction of a dam inside Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.
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The announcement did not go down well with activists. Pratima Coutinho of the Save Mhadei Save Goa Front said they will launch an agitation if the state government did not reverse the decision. “We will go to every village panchayat and municipality, creating awareness about the tiger reserve in the state,” she said.
Rajan Ghate, another activist, claimed that Sawant himself had said in 2020 that Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary should be declared as a tiger reserve. Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said the decision of the wildlife board was condemnable. “We have witnessed how the forests of Goa were burnt, purposely, by setting them on fire. If this stand continues, it will be difficult for the state,” he said.
