Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Forest department (Wildlife) has issued a notice to all Tiger Reserve Sanctuaries and DFOs asking for an immediate reply on wildlife clearance. As per an RTI report, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has no record of implementation of the conditions of wildlife clearance for the last 10 years due to which the Forest Department failed to send information to the Government of India.
Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in India and the status of Tiger State, Leopard State, Cheetah State, rail project, road construction, dam construction, pond, canal construction, power project related to Tiger Reserve land, sanctuary land and forest areas of many districts. RTI activist Ajay Dubey said, ‘Conditional wildlife clearance is issued by the Forest Department for the projects, which is mandatory to be evaluated from time to time by the Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Headquarters and field staff and its certificate is sent to the Forest Ministry of the Government of India.
But for the last 10 years, it has not been sent as it is not available to the forest department.’ The Government of India has prescribed mitigation measures to save wild animals in various development projects mentioned above, such as making permanent adequate arrangements (under bridges etc.) for safe movement of wild animals in the construction of roads and railway lines. In the project under construction, apart from minimal cutting of trees, there is also a provision for transplanting trees but this was not evident.
Forest Ministry of the Government of India has been seeking reply from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department on this subject since 2021 but they failed to reply, he added.
