Wildlife and Right To Information (RTI) activist Ajay Dubey has questioned as to why action has not been taken against former Forest Minister Sartaj Singh’s order of enquiry on encroachments over tribal lands in and around the six tiger reserves of the State. Dubey in a statement here on Saturday alleged that influential leaders, officials and corporate houses are illegally occupying tribal’s land in the six tiger reserves of the State especially in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR). This illegal occupation of tribal land is either done by illegal purchasing tribal land or by forceful occupation or by encroaching Government land that includes forest and revenue land. This land occupied by the influential leaders, officials and corporate houses is used for business purposes, he added.
He said that the main reason to raise this issue at this point of time is the incidence of tiger cub hunting last month on the controversial farm house made on encroached government land by deputy speaker of the Madhya Pradesh assembly Rajendra Singh. This farm house adjoins the core area of the BTR, he added. He said that the forest minister provided clean chit to Rajendra Singh within 24 hours of the incidence without any enquiry. And despite the request of the forest department the member of the tiger cell and the MP Police CID has not started the enquiry into the matter till now, he added.
The wildlife activist said that today we wish to remind the Forest Minister through this incidence that his predecessor has ordered enquiry in that it was said to investigate the illegal occupation of Government and tribal’s land in and around tiger reserves. But under pressure from forest mafia the forest failed has failed to take any action over it. We demand CBI enquiry of the whole issue and would provide all the evidences in the case with the note sheet of former Forest Minister to the Prime Minister for prompt action, he added.