Impact of development projects on tiger reserves to be studied
By IANSWednesday, May 19, 2010
NEW DELHI - The environment ministry Wednesday formed a committee to examine the impact of 17 proposals, which include projects relating to mining and infrastructure development, on conservation of tiger in various reserves of the country.
The four-member committee of former National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) chief P.K. Sen and NTCA members Prakash Murlidhar Amte, Samar Singh and Urmila Pingle will submit its report within a month’s time.
“The proposals include mining, infrastructure developments and industries projects falling in the buffer and corridor areas of tiger reserves in Tadoba landscape, Bandhavgarh landscape, Kanha landscape, Kanha-Pench corridor and Satpura-Pench corridor of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,” said S.P. Yadav, the deputy inspector general of the NTCA.
The decision was taken in the environment clearance meeting held last week. The committee has been assigned the job of examining the proposals vis-a-vis tiger conservation.
“It (the committee) will take up site inspections and consultations with the field officials and submit their recommendation to the NTCA,” said Yadav.
The dwindling tiger population in the country has become a cause of concern and the central government is taking several steps to save the animal.
According to official data, there are only 1,411 tigers left in the country.
The environment ministry is carrying out tiger census in the country and results will be declared later this year. There are 39 tiger reserves in the country.
