By Dominick Rodrigues
Mumbai : The Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is highlighting rehabilitation of villagers living in wildlife habitats as a measure to avoid man-animal conflicts and has directed the Forest Department to present a proposal in this regard.
Thackeray, who was addressing a review meeting of the forest department at his official residence Varsha here recently, observed that the tiger population has increased to 312 in Maharashtra with the highest numbers being noticed in Chandrapur, which had however resulted in incidents of man-animal conflict and hence necessitated rehabilitation of the affected villages — Raantalodhi, Kolasa and Karawa – in the Tadoba Tiger Reserve to other areas.
With the tigers’ numbers increasing in Maharashtra, villagers living in tiger reserves and sanctuaries in Maharashtra should be rehabilitated elsewhere by the Forest Department and compensation should be paid to the rehabilitated villagers in cash, the Chief Minister said, while also suggesting selection and development of natural wildlife tourism sites in the State that would provide visitors a jungle experience.
Noting that many reported incidents about deaths of tigers and other animals occurring due to their falling in wells, the chief minister directed the forest department to carry out preventive measures like building protective walls around such open wells.
Thackeray also reviewed various works under the Forest Department including protected areas and wildlife management, tiger conservation, sanctuaries in state and development of National Zoo parks, mangroves conservation and livelihood schemes, tree plantation in the monsoons, aerial seed dispersal, social forestry, alternate forestry and fund management authority.
Highlighting the need to increase the reserved area in the Tadoba Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra Minister for Environment Aaditya Thackeray noted that a notification regarding three recently-declared conservation reserve areas was awaited and that the officials needed to follow up on it to ensure it being brought out.
Industries minister Subhash Desai, minister of state for Forest Dattatray Bharane, additional chief secretary to chief minister Ashish Kumar Singh, principal secretary to forest department Milind Mhaiskar, principal secretary to chief minister Vikas Kharge, principal secretary to environment department Manisha Mhaiskar,and secretary to chief minister Abasaheb Jarhad were also present.
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