Goa has no option but to notify tiger reserve: Jairam Ramesh

Panaji:  Former Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has said that Goa government has no option but to notify Mhadei Tiger Reserve by October 24, 2023, as the Supreme Court has refused to stay the order of High Court.

“On July 24, 2023, theGoaBench of Bombay High Court, in response to some petitions, directed theGoagovernment to declare Mhadei as aTigerReserve. It gave theGoagovernment three months to do so. The government of Goathen approached the Supreme Court to nullify the order of the High Court.Buton September 25, 2023 the Supreme Court refused a stay,”JairamRameshsaid on X.

“So now theGoagovthasnooptionbuttonotifythe MhadeiTigerReserveby October 24, 2023. Of course, like in the case of the cheetah project, the PM will claim credit.Butlet that be. There is continuity in governance which he never acknowledges,’ he said.

JairamRameshsaid that on June 28, 2011, he had written to the then Chief Minister Digambar Kamatto agree to have the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary declared as aTigerReserve.

On July 24, the Bombay High Court atGoahad directed the state government tonotifythe Mhadei WildlifeSanctuaryas aTigerReservewithin three months.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by GoaFoundation (a local NGO). It had sought direction from the court tonotifyatigerreservein the state.

Congress leaders inGoahad questioned the state government: “What compels the government to take the matter to the Supreme Court, when the majority of people feels that this is the right and best Order of High Court. It is in the interest of the state. We want to know the reason why the government wants to challenge this order.”

According to the opposition parties inGoa, notifying thetigerreservewould make the State’s case against Karnataka stronger to stop diversion of water from Mhadei wildlifesanctuary.

Goagovernment had rejected the proposal to set up atigerreservein the state, by claiming thatGoa’s small wildlife sanctuaries did not fit the NationalTigerConservation Authority’s (NTCA) criteria for setting up one.

–IANS