BENGALURU: Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Tuesday took up the long-shelved proposal on declaring Malai Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary (MM Hills) as a tiger reserve.
During a closed-door meeting, the minister issued directions to forest officials to collect public opinion on the proposal, understand their apprehensions, if any, and submit a report at the earliest.
The proposal has gained momentum after the recent tiger deaths in the protected area. The National Wildlife Board had approved the state wildlife board’s proposal to declare MM Hills as a tiger reserve in 2021. However, the final approval was shelved by the Karnataka government. The local legislators had also opposed the idea.
“Now, to declare MM Hills as a tiger reserve, after obtaining written consent of local legislators, the proposal will again be passed in the state wildlife board meeting which is chaired by the chief minister and then the cabinet will give the final approval. Central government clearance will not be needed as it was already obtained in 2021,” a senior forest official said.
During the meeting, Khandre also directed the officials to take all precautionary measures to control unnatural wildlife deaths and loss of human lives in man-animal conflicts. He said jurisdictional officers will be held responsible.
Khandre also directed the officials to create a centralised command and control centre to monitor wildlife movement. He said Karantaka has 40,000 sqkm of forests and it is difficult to physically guard it. This centre can be used to track wildlife movement, poaching and illegal felling of trees.
Officials should prepare a list of vacant posts and immediately start the recruitment process. The staffers must also build a friendly relationship with villagers around forest areas, which will help in better protection measures.