Maharashtra has approved proposals for 14 conservation reserves across seven districts and cleared sanctuary status for two forest areas, while also expanding the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary and reviewing policies on human-wildlife conflict and village relocation. The decisions were taken at the 26th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli, known for its wild water buffalo habitat, will be declared a wildlife sanctuary. The board also approved a proposal to declare the newly expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, adjoining the existing sanctuary, as a wildlife sanctuary.
The 14 proposed conservation reserves are spread across Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Nandurbar, Thane, Palghar and Chandrapur districts. The list includes Velhe-Mulshi in Pune and Raigad, Bhorigad in Pune, Dindori, Surgana and Taharabad in Nashik, Chinchpada in Nandurbar, Alibag and Ghera Manikgad in Raigad, Lonavala in Pune and Raigad, Gumtara in Thane, Jawhar, Asherigad and Dhamani in Palghar, and Ekara in Chandrapur.
The board approved the inclusion of 588767 hectares of revenue and private land from six villages—Ogda, Khodde, Tirmal, Pachghar, Phansad and Amle—in the newly expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary. The proposal is intended to make the sanctuary free of human habitation. The meeting also cleared proposals to notify 100139 square kilometres in Koka Wildlife Sanctuary and 25579 square kilometres in Jayakwadi Bird Wildlife Sanctuary as critical wildlife habitats.
Fadnavis directed officials to include routine dam repairs, rehabilitation and desilting work within sanctuaries in the respective sanctuary management plans. He called for standard operating procedures to be prepared in accordance with the rules and for the required changes to be incorporated into management plans within three months. He also proposed a system under which officials would receive prior intimation for such work instead of separate approvals being sought on every occasion.
The board approved proposals for infrastructure projects in protected areas, eco-sensitive zones and tiger corridors. These projects include irrigation facilities, healthcare infrastructure, water supply schemes, bridges, roads, underground optical fibre networks and power lines.
The meeting also discussed proposals to notify core, buffer and notified eco-sensitive areas of Maharashtra’s six tiger reserves as silence zones, classify human-wildlife conflict as a natural disaster and formulate a policy for relocating villages in tiger-reserve buffer zones where residents are willing to move. Fadnavis directed officials to examine the proposals under the Disaster Management Act, the existing compensation framework and the powers of the Forest Department before further action.
The chief minister also asked officials to review staff deployment, deputation and vacancies in wildlife sanctuaries that are currently managed by the territorial Forest Department or the Forest Development Corporation. A proposal on transferring these areas to the wildlife wing is to be submitted within one month.
