BHUBANESWAR: The state government’s plans to introduce a dozen of tigers to Satkosia from the central Indian landscape has not moved forward as it is yet to receive the recommendations of the central committee of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) even after a year.
Forest, Environment and Climate Change minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia informed the Assembly recently that the NTCA panel had visited Satkosia in May 2024 to assess the feasibility of reintroduction of big cats in the tiger reserve. “The major action points and recommendations by the committee, however, is yet to be received from the NTCA,” Singhkhuntia stated.
After failure of the state’s first tiger translocation project in Satkosia in 2018-19, the state wildlife wing approached NTCA again and submitted a proposal for resumption of the project in 2023-24.
Acting on the basis of proposal submitted by the wildlife wing, NTCA sent a five-member central committee to Satkosia to reassess the feasibility of re-initiating the project in the tiger reserve.
Based on the proposal of the state wildlife wing and the recommendations of the committee, the apex tiger conservation body has already allowed the state forest department to go ahead with the reintroduction plan provided it complies with all the action points and recommendations of the panel.
The state Wildlife wing has also started working on the pre-requisites such as voluntary relocation of villages, prey augmentation, creation of inviolate space, capacity-building of staff and enhancement of protection measures, among others.
However, officials said the earlier the recommendations are formally communicated, the more easier it would be for them to comply to them for reintroduction of the tigers in the protected area where the big cats have locally extirpated. “The matter is being pursued with the NTCA,” said a senior forest official.