Principal Chief Conservator of forest-cum-chief wildlife warden (CWW) PK Verma held a two-day review of the Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) and took stock of the status of wild life and its habitat here. It was Verma’s maiden visit in PTR in capacity of chief wild life warden.
Some crucial issues are like nagging pain for the chief wildlife warden Verma who till joining as CWW was holding the post of director in Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park Ormanjhi in Ranchi.
The prolonged absence of tigers here in PTR since February is the big of all issue. MK Mahaling deputy director south division of PTR in his comment in a WhatsApp group mentioned, “In February (2018) a tiger crossed the North Koel at Bagechappa. Its pugmark recorded. From then onwards there is no report from the range of capturing tiger in camera trap.”
PTR’s field director Mohan Lal known for his candid remarks in his department too wrote back, “It is true that as on date there is no direct or indirect evidence of existence of Tiger in PTR.”
Apart from this the next crucial issue gripping PTR is the postponement of notification of Eco Sensitive Zone around PTR as Chatra MP Sunil Kumar Singh who was opposing Eco Sensitive Zone around PTR finally got it postponed when minister Dr Harsh Vardhan MoEF&CC wrote a letter to Singh stating government of India has postponed notification of Eco Sensitive Zone around PTR.
The Pioneer has a copy of Vardhan’s letter to this effect.
Anil Kumar Mishra deputy director North division of PTR said, “Our chief wild life warden Verma ji has asked us not to raise any conflict either with the mine operators, villagers or with the Latehar administration on this issue.
Let time settle it in its own course.”
Mishra said chief wild life’s concern is twofold water management and grass land management and on both the counts PTR has done works but still there is a big room for doing more works especially on the front of grass land management which is to be done 5 per cent of the total area of PTR which is 1,129 sq km. CWW is understood to have given a three-year calendar work for effective raising and management of grass lands in PTR.