Digital Goa, July 13 – Goa State does not fit in the criteria set by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for announcement of wildlife habitat as Tiger Reserve, claimed CM Pramod Sawant today. Even if the state applies, approval will not come, he added. CM was briefing the media about the State Board of Wildlife (SBWL) meeting held yesterday. The board has rejected the demand for a tiger reserve in Goa. “High Court has been intimated accordingly,” Sawant informed. All norms and precautions regarding tiger and other wildlife habitat are being followed by the state in accordance with guidelines laid down by the center, Sawant further claimed. Incidentally, on Sept 29, 2022 the deputy inspector general of the NTCA, New Delhi has said in a letter to the state govt , “In 2020, in the aftermath of the death of a tigress and three cubs inside the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, this authority had requested the state to speed up the process of notifying the sanctuary as a tiger reserve. Considering the strategic location of Goa’s protected areas in ensuring long-term conservation of tigers, it is requested that necessary steps may be initiated for bringing the area under the ambit of NTCA.”
▪️ ‘ Charavne dam will directly benefit to 250 families ‘
SBWL also approved the construction of dam at Charvanem-Sattari inside the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. The dam will be of direct benefit to 250 farmer families as perennial source of water for irrigation purpose. It will but also indirectly benefit wild and domesticated animals as it will develop a new ecosystem, said Sawant.
