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NTCA discusses leopard poaching incident with CWW in Delhi
Days after a suspected poaching incident was reported in the core area of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, the NTCA officials Tuesday met chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand in New Delhi
Days after a suspected poaching incident was reported in the core area of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) officials Tuesday met chief wildlife warden of Uttarakhand in New Delhi.
The NTCA officials sought details pertaining to the incident Reserve. Chief wildlife warden Digvijay Singh Khati apprised the authority of the encroachments in the protected area. He informed that a case on the matter is under litigation in the Nainital High Court.
The NTCA and Union ministry of environment forest and climate change (MoEFCC) have already granted permission to carry out tiger translocation in Motichur range of the Rajaji — the very area from where the poaching was reported. Fearing similar threat to tigers, the NTCA had sought explanation from Khati.
“We have discussed the issue with the chief wildlife warden and raised our concern. The problem is with the encroachment and other establishments inside the reserve for which we were informed that the matter is sub-judice,” Debabrata Swain, member secretary, NTCA, said.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court highlighting the dangers posed by the encroachments to wildlife and habitat. The court had directed the Survey of India (the central agency in charge of mapping and surveying) to conduct mapping of the area. The Survey of India submitted its report in December last year, following which the reserve management had requested court to give orders on vacating the protected area.
“We are waiting for the court’s direction. Once the encroachments are removed, the sanctity of the reserve could be restored,” Sanatan Sonkar, director, Rajaji, said.
Currently, the porous boundary and encroachments has led to a rise in man-animal conflict around the reserve, especially in Haridwar and Raiwala areas in Rishikesh, where over 12 people have been injured in leopard attacks in last two years.
