PANJIM: Goa has missed the deadline set by the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for the demarcation and digitisation of forest boundaries as the State government is yet to finalise the settlement rights under the Wildlife Protection Act of those residing within the four protected areas- Mhadei, Netravali, Bhagwan Mahavir and Mollem wildlife sanctuaries.
This assumes great significance. Without demarcation of forest boundaries, the State cannot declare Mhadei as tiger reserve. And as Abhijit Prabhudesai of Rainbow Warriors says, “If they do so, they won’t be able to allow mining activities and destruction of forest in the name of development.”
The Executive Committee of the National Authority – Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) – held its meeting held in May 2022.
During the meeting it had directed all the States including Goa to complete demarcation and digitisation of forest boundaries for protection and plantation activities, within one year.
However, Goa failed to undertake the exercise pending the settlement rights. More than a decade after notifying these protected areas- which are declared as wildlife sanctuaries and national parks based on only the preliminary notification- they are yet to have their boundaries demarcated.
Sources said that the government will have to first settle the claims of human habitats under the Wild Life Act and only then the boundaries can be notified. “We will bring this to the notice of CAMPA during the next meeting. We have told them in the past too,” sources said.
Spread across 208 sq km, the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary declared as a protected area in 1999, has around 8,500 people residing within the sanctuary housing close to 25 villages.
Sources said that the government has appointed a Revenue Officer-cum-Collector (ROC) under Wildlife Protection Act for Mhadei, Mollem and Netravali for the settlement of rights after the preliminary notifications were issued.
The Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary since 1969 and the Mollem National Park since 1978 have a human population of around 4,500 while the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary has another 1,000-odd people living within it.
“The ROC has been entrusted with the task of dealing with the claims for settlement under the Act but with a wide range of documentation requirements and scrutiny, the process has been delayed,” sources said adding ‘efforts are on to see that claims are settled at the earliest.’
In the absence of demarcation and pending settlement claims, the Forest Department is also not in a position to take any call with regard to declaring Mhadei as a tiger reserve.
“To declare any area as a tiger reserve, it needs to be free from human settlement first,” sources said.
Activist Ramesh Gawas said, “There is no political will to demarcate the boundaries or to settle the claims. When the government can compromise on the Mhadei River in the Centre’s direction, then why can’t it adhere to these directives?
Gawas said that the government is in no mood to settle the claims as once that is done the protected areas will have boundaries and tiger reserves will also have to be declared.
Activist Abhijit Prabhudesai accused the successive governments of delaying the process of settling claims of habitats and thereby delaying the demarcation process.
“No government ever had any intention to demarcate wildlife sanctuaries or declare tiger reserves. Because if they do so, they won’t be able to allow mining activities and destruction of forest in the name of development,” he said.
Prabhudesai said that there is no question of human settlement as they are the protectors of wildlife. He said that if the government is not able to settle their claims, then declare them as the defenders or protectors of wildlife.
Environmentalist and activist Rajendra Kerkar said that the government should take steps to issue a final notification of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and to demarcate the boundaries, leaving aside those areas where claims are made by the forest dwellers.
“The State has no will to issue a final notification or to demarcate the boundaries. This has been a long pending issue,” Kerkar said, pointing out that Karnataka issued final notification for their part of Mhadei Sanctuary way back in 2012.
