MP: Gandhisagar Sanctuary to be second new home of cheetahs
In a meeting with the Wildlife Advisory Board, the chief minister instructed the forest officials to develop the Gandhisagar Sanctuary as a habitat for cheetahs in the next six months, said a senior forest official
Gandhisagar Sanctuary will be developed as a second home for cheetahs within six months to retain the tag of cheetah state, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Friday.
A cheetah at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh (File Photo)
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In a meeting with the Wildlife Advisory Board, the chief minister instructed the forest officials to develop the Gandhisagar Sanctuary as a habitat for cheetahs in the next six months, said a senior forest official.
The move comes after experts suggested that Kuno National Park (KNP)does not have enough space for all cheetahs. In the meeting on Friday, board member Abhilash Khandekar also suggested that after increasing the number of cheetahs in Kuno National Park in Sheopur, the area would not be sufficient for them, hence it is necessary to relocate a few.
“Gandhisagar Sanctuary should be developed for Cheetah as soon as possible. If the sanctuary doesn’t get ready, Cheetah will be shifted to Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh’s identity as ‘Cheetah State’ will end,” said the official.
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After Khandekar’s proposal, CM Chouhan immediately instructed the forest officials to develop Gandhisagar Sanctuary within six months.
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After Khandekar’s proposal, CM Chouhan immediately instructed the forest officials to develop Gandhisagar Sanctuary within six months.
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The CM said, “ ₹20 crore will be spent on the development.”
HT had previously reported that forest officials have requested a second home for the cheetahs as KNP doesn’t have enough space.
the forest department had asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to take a decision in this regard.
“In a fencing of 80sq km, grassland will be developed for cheetahs,” said a member of the Cheetah Task Force.
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
