Proposal to notify Ratapani as tiger reserve turned down
| Date :04-Nov-2019 |
Staff Reporter :
In the past 10 months, proposal for notifying Ratapani as Tiger Reserve re-drafted thrice
Officials to return re-drafted proposal of core committee as it includes 2 km of revenue land
THE proposal of notifying Ratapani as Tiger Reserve is facing continuous encumbrance as re-drafted proposal could not be finalised for the third time. A committee was formed under CCF Bhopal to redraft the proposal in which revenue land is allegedly added. The committee was formed by Government headed by former CCF Bhopal S P Tiwari. The committee submitted its re-drafted report within a week but included a few areas of revenue land which created controversy.
The Forest Secretariat raised objection over revenue land and told to return the file to forest officials for further amendment. Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary has specialties like world famous Kanha and Pench National Park. Concerned over rich flora and fauna of area along with movement of higher number of tigers, Forest Department is making efforts to notify the area as tiger reserve. Efforts on the proposal have been restarted by the Government about a year ago but it has not been finalised yet. The project has been already given in-principle approval of Central Forest, Environment and Climate Change Ministry in year 2010. In the past 10 months, the Government has sought proposal four times. Three times the proposals were submitted for Ratapani Wildlife division.
Annoyed over the issue, ministers formed a committee to redraft the proposal but it could not fulfill the aim. In recently drafted proposal, the committee recommended to keep core and buffer area separated. The committee also included two kilometer of revenue land in the proposal. As per Wildlife Conservation Act 1972 Section-66 (4), only reserved forest land can be notified as tiger reserve. Sources said in fresh proposal core committee included 760 square km of area from Sehore and Raisen and 480 square km of Obedullaganj, Sehore and Bhopal forest circle in buffer zone. This includes conserved and non conserved areas. In the proposal about two km area from Bhopal circle has been included which is revenue land. Sources said the committee forwarded its report to wildlife and forest head office for final approval but officials did not cross check the fact.
Second proposal included notification of area in two different phases. In second phase, a separate proposal was made for notification of buffer zone and decision was taken to notify core area first. The proposal redrafted by forest officials for second time included to add notifies area in the tiger reserve which would be 823 square km of region. Talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Alok Kumar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) said, “The proposal of notifying Ratapani as tiger reserve is re-drafting. We have planned to notify the core area in first phase and then a separate proposal will be made for buffer zone. However, final decision will be taken by authorities after checking the detailed plan.”
Current position of Ratapani includes 910 square km Sanctuary area, 4 ranges, 40 adult tigers, 29 villages, 15 villages are the boundary of Sanctuary, 8 villages inside the sanctuary, relocated village one (Datkhoh), village relocation in process are 3 and total beats are 70. A step to develop Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary as tiger reserve was started in 2007-2008 and at the time, ‘in-principal approval’ of NTCA was given for creation of tiger reserve at Ratapani in 2008 but the State Government did not send final proposal to the Centre. The proposal of tiger reserve remained pending for several reasons since 2008.