The Central government has also agreed to allocate Rs 50 crore for relocating villagers from the Melghat and Tadoba reserves in the state.
The three new reserves will come up in Navegaon, Nagzira and Bhor. Navegaon, which is already a national park, has an area of around 450 square kilometres, while Nagzira is spread in 150 square kilometres. The new reserves are located at the border of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. According to experts, this area can be productive for new reserves, but only if proper care is taken to sustain the tiger-conservation programmes.
Vishal Bansod, a wildlife activist from Amravati, who works in Navegaon and Nagzira, feels that these areas are good for the movement of tigers. He says, “The initiative of the government is positive, but these areas are already national parks. It's not enough to turn them into specialised tiger reserves." Read the full report here.
Source: Nikhil M Ghanekar, Tehelka, New Delhi.
