The Supreme Court on Monday directed that status quo be maintained in Goa’s Mhadei-Kotigaon area, identified by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) as a potential reserve for big cats.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Atul S. Chandurkar ordered that no projects or developmental activities be undertaken in the area until further directions. The court has asked a central empowered committee to hear all stakeholders and decide the issue within six weeks.
The order came while hearing petitions filed by the Goa government and others challenging a Bombay High Court ruling that had directed the state to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas as a tiger reserve within three months. The apex court has sought responses from the NTCA and other authorities on the matter.
The Bombay High Court, acting on a plea by NGO Goa Foundation, had asked the state government to prepare and notify a tiger conservation plan as mandated under the Wildlife Protection Act. The plan was to be forwarded to the NTCA within three months of notification.
In its judgment, the High Court underscored the interdependence of forests and tigers, quoting from the Mahabharata: “If there is no forest, then the tiger gets killed; if there is no tiger, then the forest gets destroyed. Hence, the tiger protects the forest and the forest guards the tiger.”
The court also directed the state government to:
- Establish anti-poaching camps at strategic locations with forest guards and watchers within six months.
- Ensure protection of sanctuaries and national parks from encroachments, both pending notification of the tiger reserve and in the future.
Spread across 208 sq. km, the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the northeastern part of Goa, adjoining Karnataka. The NTCA had earlier requested the state to notify it as a tiger reserve, but the process has faced delays amid legal and administrative challenges.
With the Supreme Court’s latest order, the fate of the sanctuary as a tiger reserve now hinges on the central empowered committee’s recommendations, expected within the next six weeks.
