As the debate over Goa’s proposed Ti ger Reserve intensifies, a member of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), Sunil Limaye, on Friday visited parts of the Kalay forest area to review on-ground conditions and inspect an anti-poaching camp set up by the Forest Department. Limaye’s visit formed part of a larger review by the two-member CEC team comprising Chandra Prakash Goyal and Limaye, who were in the State this week to hold discussions with Forest Department officials, local MLAs, key stakeholders and the Goa Foundation — the NGO whose petition sparked the ongoing legal battle over the Mhadei Tiger Reserve. The Goa government had filed a special leave peti tion (SLP) in the Supreme Court, challenging the July 24, 2023 order of the Bombay High Court at Goa, which directed the State to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and surrounding areas as a Tiger Reserve. The High Court’s decision followed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Goa Foundation. During Friday’s visit, Li maye examined the func tioning of the anti-poach ing infrastructure — an issue flagged by the High Court, which had ordered the State to establish such camps at strategic loca tions within six months, staffed by forest guards and watchers to curb poach ing and enhance wildlife protection.
Earlier, on the first day of the visit, the CEC delegation met legislators and local representatives from constitu encies overlapping the sanctuary areas, along with sen ior government officials, to gauge the administrative and socio-economic implications of declaring the area a Tiger Reserve. The Supreme Court, while hearing the State’s SLP on September 8, directed all parties to maintain status quo in the notified areas and tasked the CEC with hearing all sides and submitting its findings within six weeks. The CEC subsequently held hearings in New Delhi on September 16, where both the Goa government and the Goa Foundation made detailed written submissions. After concluding its field inspection, the CEC team will now return to New Delhi to compile its report and rec ommendations for submission to the Apex Court. The Supreme Court is scheduled to take up the Tiger Reserve matter on November 12, with the case listed “high on board” for consideration of the CEC’s findings.
