Thackeray's Tadoba visit will give political fillip to tiger issue

TNN | May 30, 2012, 03.44AM IST Chandrapur: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray would be on a three-day tour of Chandrapur from Wednesday. His tour is focused on tiger deaths, forest fires and rehabilitation of villages out of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). He will visit tiger poaching sites in Gondmohadi and Borda jungle, inspect the jungle burned in fire and meet the villagers rehabilitated out of tiger reserve. MNS district chief Dilip Ramedwar informed that Thakre will arrive in Nagpur by train on Wednesday morning and reach Gondmohadi in Palasgaon range via Chimur by noon. He will visit the spot in the jungle were two tigers were poached near waterhole last month. Later in the afternoon he would visit TATR and inspect the forest burned in fire in Kolsa range. "He would enter from Kolara gate of tiger reserve after taking lunch. He will go to Kolsa range where massive fire had burned hundreds of hectare of jungle. Later he would exit the tiger reserve from Jhari gate to visit the spot in Borda jungle where chopped carcass of tiger was found a few days back," he said. Ramedwar further informed that Thackeray would halt in Chandrapur on Wednesday night. He would take up tour of jungles burned in buffer zone and other forest areas on Thursday and interact with forest officials over the problem. He would stay in Chandrapur on Thursday night. MNS chief would visit Bhagwanpur, the rehabilitation site of Tadoba villages, on Friday morning and interact with the villagers. He is also likely to visit rehabilitation site of TATR villages in Chimur tehsil, before leaving for Mumbai. DCF, Chandrapur forest division, P Kalyankumar however held that he has not received any official intimation about Thackeray's visit to the areas under his jurisdiction. Wildlife activist have welcomed Thackeray's move to take up the issue of tiger poaching and forest fires on political platform. "Tiger and jungle are national property. But, the politicians are rarely concerned over such issues. Raj Thackeray's initiative would definitely help in speeding-up the investigations in poaching and putting pressure on forest department to strengthen safety and conservation of tigers and forest," said president of Green Planet Society Suresh Chopne. He however held that Thackeray should keep politics out of these issues. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Thackerays-Tadoba-visit-will-give-political-fillip-to-tiger-issue/articleshow/13652150.cms