Maharashtra has approved 14 new conservation reserves across seven districts, alongside two reserve forest proposals and sanctuary status for the Kolamarka conservation reserve in Gadchiroli, in a decision that expands the state’s protected-area network and brings new rules for infrastructure and village management into focus.
The decisions were taken at the 26th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Sahyadri Guest House. Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and senior forest officials attended the meeting.
Kolamarka, in Gadchiroli district, has been granted wildlife sanctuary status because of its importance as a habitat for wild buffaloes. The board also approved the declaration of the new expanded Tansa area, adjacent to Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, as a wildlife sanctuary.
The 14 conservation reserve proposals cover areas in Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Nandurbar, Thane, Palghar and Chandrapur districts. The areas named in the proposals include Velhe and Lonavala in the Pune-Raigad region, Bhor Girgad in Pune district, Dindori, Surgana and Taharabad in Nashik, Chinchpada in Nandurbar, Alibag and Ghera Manikgad in Raigad, Gumatara in Thane, Jawhar, Asherigad and Dhamni in Palghar, and Ekara in Chandrapur.
The board also approved a proposal to include 588.767 hectares of revenue and private land from six villages—Ogda, Khodade, Tirmal, Pachghar, Phansad and Amle—in the expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary. The stated objective is to make the sanctuary free of human habitation, although the supplied report does not detail the rehabilitation process, compensation or implementation schedule for affected residents.
Two further proposals concern threatened wildlife habitats. An area of 100.139 square kilometres in the buffer of Koka Wildlife Sanctuary and 255.79 square kilometres in the Jayakwadi Bird Wildlife Sanctuary were approved for declaration as threatened wildlife habitats.
The meeting also addressed the practical tension between conservation rules and essential public works. Repair, rehabilitation and desilting of dams within sanctuaries are to be incorporated into the management plans of the concerned protected areas. The board was instructed to prepare standard operating procedures consistent with existing rules and amend the management plans within three months. Under the proposed arrangement, wildlife officials would receive prior information about such work instead of requiring separate approval for every activity.
Proposals for infrastructure in protected areas, eco-sensitive zones and tiger corridors were also approved for consideration. These included irrigation, health services, water supply, bridges, roads, underground optical-fibre networks and electricity transmission lines. The decisions indicate that future project approvals will continue to require coordination between conservation authorities and agencies responsible for essential services.
The board discussed declaring the core, buffer and notified eco-sensitive areas of Maharashtra’s six tiger reserves as silent zones. It also considered declaring human-wildlife conflict a natural disaster and preparing a policy for the rehabilitation of villages in tiger-reserve buffer areas where residents are willing to relocate.
The chief minister directed officials to examine how the responsibilities of district collectors under the Disaster Management Act, the existing compensation system and the powers of the Forest Department can be aligned before further action is taken. He also instructed officials to study staff adjustment, deputation and vacancies before submitting a proposal within one month to transfer sanctuaries currently managed by regional forest divisions or the Forest Development Corporation to the wildlife wing.
