Jumbos roam everywhere, can’t make Chhattisgarh an elephant reserve: Minister

Chhattisgarh’s plan to set up the Lemru elephant reserve was conceived in 2005 by the Raman Singh government but it never took off despite approval from the Union government in 2007. The proposal was revived in 2018.

Raipur: Chhattisgarh farm minister Ravindra Chaubey on Thursday waded into the public debate over the size of the Lemru elephant reserve, saying the entire state cannot be declared an elephant reserve just because the jumbos were spotted across Chhattisgarh.

Six-time lawmaker Ravindra Chaubey’s comments come days after Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singhdeo made it clear that he did not support limiting the Lemru elephant reserve to 450 square kilometres

“Elephants are now roaming across the state. I have said that the elephants are now roaming across five revenue divisions of the state, so do you mean that the whole of Chhattisgarh should be declared as elephant reserve… No, this is not possible,” the senior minister said.

The six-time lawmaker’s comments come days after health minister TS Singhdeo made it clear that he did not support limiting the elephant reserve to 450 square kilometres but wanted the government to stick to its plan of 2020 to set up the reserve across 1,995 sq km.

The plan to set up the elephant reserve across 450 sq km was conceived by the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Raman Singh in 2005. In two years, it got the approval of the Union government also. But the project never took off.

The Bhupesh Baghel government revived the plan after the change of guard in 2018, initially proposing to set up the elephant reserve in north Chhattisgarh across 450 sq km. In 2020, the Chhattisgarh government decided to expand the proposed reserve to 1,995 sq km and later, initiated another proposal to increase the size further to 3,720 sq km in mineral-rich north Chhattisgarh.

A controversy erupted this week after health minister Singhdeo objected to the forest department’s pitch for going back to the original plan of 450 sq km citing objections from eight lawmakers including health minister Singhdeo. The minister was livid and sent a sharp rebuttal to the forest department’s claim. On Wednesday, another MLA Laljeet Rathia demanded that coal mining in the jungles of Hasdeo Aranya be stopped.

On Thursday, Chhattisgarh agriculture and water resources minister Ravindra Chaubey said the divergence of opinion shouldn’t be seen as a conflict. “We cannot make such a big project over a suggestion of only one person hence suggestions are coming and it should not be seen as a conflict,” Chaubey said.

For now, the government hasn’t spelt out its stand. Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel held a review meeting with forest officials on Thursday but according to a senior official who was present, the elephant reserve wasn’t discussed.

“The controversy over the elephant reserve was not discussed in the meeting. I believe that suggestions from some MLAs will be taken and finally, the decision will be taken by the cabinet meeting on expanding or reducing the size of the reserve,” the official said,

Some of the controversy and the resistance to the reserve is linked to the direct impact that it would have on coal mines in north Chhattisgarh and the displacement of tribal villages.

“If the elephant reserve is not to be made or extended at least the minister should announce that mining will not be allowed in this jungle,” said Alok Shukla, convener of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, recalling that Rahul Gandhi promised tribals in 2015 that no tribal will be removed from the jungle and Congress will not even do anything that increases the human-elephant conflict.