'Relocation of people from tiger reserves in process'

PUNE: The process of relocating local people from notified core or critical tiger habitats of tiger reserves is currently underway in the state, said forest minister Patangrao Kadam .

Kadam said rehabilitating locals from Melghat Tiger Reserve is in the process and an amount of Rs 10 lakh per family is given for voluntary rehabilitation.

Speaking at Vanmahotsav, organised by the Pune forest department, at the Bharatiya Vidyapeeth Gramin Hospital, Lavale village, Mulshi taluka, on Sunday,

Kadam said the tiger population in the state has increased to 66, and the overall increase in the country is 218 .

The regional office of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will soon be operational in Nagpur and it will ensure that the NTCA guidelines are implemented effectively and there is better cooperation between the tiger states, he said.

Kadam said his department aims to plant 13 crore saplings across the state this year. This will be carried out by all departments concerned . The steps are in tune with the National Environment Policy's target of achieving 33 per cent forest cover. At present, the state has a 22 per cent land under forests. On tree felling, the minister said the ban on felling trees has helped maintain existing tree density and increase the forest cover.

M K Rao, conservator of forest (wildlife), said the demarcation of core and buffer zones of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve is going on. It will follow a proposal for notification of core and buffer areas. It will take another six months to finalise the core areas. The rehabilitation of local people is in process in Satara, he said.

A S K Sinha, conservator of forest (territorial), Pune, said rampant tree felling is reported from private lands in Konkan region and Marathwada districts. Committees have been formed to look into this matter.

Last year, 3.53 crore saplings were planted in the state, which was beyond the target of 2.90 crore. This year, the forest department's target is to plant 3.70 crore saplings and the social forestry has set a target of 80 ,000, said Sinha. He said Vanmohatsav is celebrated to create awareness on conservation of forests. A total of 25,000 trees will be planted in Lavale village by the department , he said.

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