Madhya Pradesh forest department gears up for action on MPT’s projects on tiger corridors

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh forest department has directed the field directors of Bandhavgarh and Sanjay Tiger Reserves to investigate allegations of unauthorised constructions in the tiger corridor by the state tourism department. The field directors have been instructed to submit their action taken reports within a week. The letters were issued from the state wildlife headquarters (HQ) by APCCF L Krishnamurthy.
The directive follows a complaint from wildlife activist Ajay Dubey to the head of forests (HoF) of Madhya Pradesh, which raised concerns about the failure to address illegal constructions despite recommendations from the National Wildlife Board (NWB).
During its 79^th meeting on July 31, the NWB's Standing Committee had recommended the demolition of two unauthorised structures built by the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation on forest land. The committee also called for explanations from IAS officers for overlooking these illegal constructions.
In his complaint, Dubey highlighted that, despite the Standing Committee's clear directives, no action has been taken to rectify the violations. These constructions, situated in the critical tiger corridor connecting Sanjay and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves, pose a significant threat to wildlife conservation.
Under the chairmanship of Union environment and forest minister Bhupendra Yadav, the committee's decisions were to be enforced under the Wildlife Protection Act and Forest Act. Specifically, agenda points 79.4.63 and 79.4.67 required immediate action. However, Dubey's complaint notes that these measures remain unaddressed, pointing to a serious lapse in compliance.
Dubey has called for immediate action against the secretary of the tourism department and the Sidhi Collector for their failure to execute the orders. He has also demanded a thorough investigation into why the forest department did not address the illegal constructions earlier. In his communication, Dubey has urged the authorities to enforce the demolition order and provide a detailed report on the actions taken.