Bhopal, Jun 19 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has approved a proposal to form a task force on the lines of the State Tiger Strike Force to curb organised forest crimes, officials said on Friday.
Yadav, who chaired a review meeting of the forest department on Thursday, also directed officials to provide tigers and gaur (Indian bison) to Andhra Pradesh following a request from that state. Efforts should be made to obtain wild dogs or other wildlife species from there in exchange, he instructed.
Similarly, the Rajasthan government had agreed to provide the Sone Chiraiya (Golden Bird), and the birds should be obtained from that state, the chief minister said, according to an official release.
Yadav approved the department’s proposal to form a state-level task force, modeled on the State Tiger Strike Force, to curb organized forest crimes, and to establish a command and control room at the forest headquarters to protect wildlife.
The chief minister also gave the nod for increasing the transportation permit fee for minerals.
Efforts are being made to declare human-wildlife conflict a ‘state disaster’, which will enable the administration, police, forest department and disaster response forces to effectively manage such conflicts, Yadav said.
Sandeep Yadav, principal secretary, forest, informed that golden birds will be acquired from Rajasthan and released in the Ghatigaon and Gandhi Sagar forests at the chief minister’s hands.
Madhya Pradesh currently has a total of 52 cheetahs, 32 of which were born in Kuno National Park, the principal secretary stated.
The Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Sagar district is being developed as a third cheetah sanctuary in the state, he said, adding that preparations are underway to release two pairs of male and female cheetahs into the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Mandsaur district in July.
Madhya Pradesh ranks first in the country in terms of tiger, cheetah, leopard, wolf, gharial and vulture populations and their conservation, the forest secretary said.
He also informed that wildlife rescue centers are being built near Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, and Panna National Parks.
The principal secretary further informed that a forest department team is visiting West Bengal to learn about wild elephant management.
The central government has granted permission to radio-collar six elephants who inhabit Madhya Pradesh forests, the official said, adding that the number of assistant mahouts will be increased to maintain elephants in the state.
Forest Management Officers will be given further powers to resolve forest revenue land boundary disputes, he said.
‘Sal Borer disaster’ has been witnessed in the forests of Anuppur and Dindori districts, the principal secretary said, adding that this infestation of sal trees occurs once in 30 years.
Last time this disease was reported in 1997. To eliminate it, diseased trees will be harvested, the official said.
He also informed that a total of 17.76 lakh standard bags of tendu leaves — used in bidi production — have been collected this year and a total bonus of Rs 710.71 crore will be distributed to tendu leaf collectors.
Action is being taken to convert 700 forest villages into revenue villages, the official said. PTI MAS KRK
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