Tiger Foundation for Palamu reserve in offing

TNN | Jul 25, 2012, 12.32AM IST DALTONGANJ: Decks have been cleared for the setting up of Tiger Foundation (TF) and Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP) for the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) here. Sources said the possible obstacles have been overcome in this regard. The main hurdle was the absence of notification of the Buffer Area of the PTR. The Buffer Area of the PTR has been notified by an order of the governor of the state on July 14. Sources said this is the first time that the PTR's Buffer Area has been notified since the former came into existence here in 1974. A total of 715.85 sq km out of 1,026 sq km of PTR has been notified as the Buffer Area. The conservator of the Buffer Area, Anil K Mishra confirmed the notification. Sources said the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Delhi had put on hold the formation of TF and TCP in absence of the notification. After the formation of this TF, funds allotted by the NTCA will be directly handed over to the PTR authorities without involving the state. Thus, the persisting problem of getting funds from the state government as late as in the third week of March (the last financial month of any financial year) will be a thing of the past once this TF is set up here. Further the TCP envisages a massive spectrum for the conservation of this big cat. As the Buffer Area has been notified there cannot be expansion or deletion of even an inch of this notified area without seeking permission from the Supreme Court, said one official. The inhabitants of 136 villages, falling under the Buffer Area of the PTR, will head for a bleak future as they will not be allowed to claim any right on the land where they are settled since the last two decades. The notified Buffer Area will be the sole property of the PTR henceforward said the official. There cannot be any settlement of land falling under this notified area with traditional tribal dwellers.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Tiger-Foundation-for-Palamu-reserve-in-offing/articleshow/15128093.cms