Principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden of Jharkhand, Rajeev Ranjan is to visit the tiger reserve in Palamu on April 10, said sources.
It will be a maiden visit of the1988 batch IFS officer in the tiger reserve here.
Sources said this tiger reserve has more issues than it can tackle on its own. The forest is battling jungle fire, laying of third railway line, felling of trees, relocation of two villages situated in the critical core habitat, ecotourism, management of the wolf sanctuary, timely payment of wages to around 300 trackers by authorising expenditure from the tiger foundation, all India tiger estimation of 2022 and more.
The recent issue is of the surface fire that took a large chunk of both the divisions of this tiger reserve, north and south ravaged.
Kumar Ashish deputy, director North division of the Palamu tiger reserve said, “We are taking utmost measures to contain the jungle fires and recent episodes of the fire kept both the divisions of the tiger reserve on the tenterhooks.”
Sources said the railways are all out to lay the third railway line in the tiger reserve from Hehegara to Chhipadohar stations but the railways that drum this issue skip a meeting chaired by the chief secretary which casts a shadow on the plan and motive of the railways.
Kumar Ashish said there was a meeting on the railway line issue in the second week of this March chaired by the chief secretary wherein the railway officials were conspicuously absent.
Sources said the third railway line and the Mandal dam will cause more than four lakhs of trees to get uprooted whose compensation is a big concern.
Relocation of two villages Latu and Kujrum lie in limbo as two hundred ten villagers who are to move out from the tiger reserve take one step forward and four steps backward.
Mukesh Kumar deputy director South division of the tiger reserve said, “We have now with us twenty six crores for relocation and now it is up-to the people here of the two villages to take the best course of action for them.”
Sources said land for their resettlement lie in Latehar and Palamu districts and it has some issues to be resolved first.
Thirteen sites have been located identified and proposed for the ecotourism here in this tiger reserve for which the respective eco development committees have submitted their plan also. It is to be approved for a take-off.
The issue of Mahuadanr wolf sanctuary is set to come up before chief wildlife warden Rajeev Ranjan as this wolf sanctuary too calls for a comprehensive management plan. This sanctuary of wolf is unpopular because it has been advertised very badly said sources.
Sources said half of the year every calendar in the tiger reserve goes down with the problem of pendency of the wages to its near three hundred daily wagers trekkers etc as despite fund in the tiger foundation there is an embargo on its spending without the approval of the chief minister.
Sources said the chief wildlife warden’s visit here brightens hope if permission to pay the monthly wages to the wage based work force can be had from the tiger foundation if the chief minister so likes to approve this permission to spend for the wages.
Although this tiger reserve is now more known for the growing number of the leopards than the tiger nevertheless this tiger reserve is to be up for 2022 all India tiger census and chief wildlife warden is to ponder over it here also said sources.