Goa not keen on responding to MoEF letter on tiger sanctuary

PTI | 04:08 PM,Aug 08,2011
Panaji, Aug 8 (PTI) Even though the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had asked the Goa government to submit a proposal to declare Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve, the coastal state might not respond to it as it is not sure whether there are tigers in the sanctuary. State Forest Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues today hinted at it when he told reporters that the state government might not respond to the MOEF letter. "Why should we reply? We have not been asked to reply?" he questioned. The minister also said that the state government is not sure whether there are tigers existing in Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. When the minister was told that the existence of tigers in the sanctuary was noticed during animal census, Rodrigues said, "It is the wildlife institute's and not my job to know whether there are tigers (in the sanctuary)." The Congress minister said that declaration of sanctuary as a tiger reserve would turn out to be "unpopular" as local people are opposing it. "We will have to take everyone into confidence," he said. In June, the MoEF had written to Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat asking him to submit a proposal for setting up a tiger reserve.