C'garh to ask Centre to reduce Indravati tiger reserve buffer

Chhattisgarh government will send a proposal to the Centre seeking to reduce the area of buffer zone of Indravati Tiger Reserve that lies in Bastar division of the state.
"After a detailed discussion during a meeting of Bio-Diversity Advisory Board chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh yesterday, it was decided to reduce the buffer area of Indravati Tiger Reserve," an official statement said today.
"Now a proposal in this connection will be sent to Central government," it said.
The erstwhile Madhya Pradesh government had established Indravati National Park in 1981. It was named after river Indravati which forms it's northern boundary. In 1983, it was included in the Tigers Project Network.

Presently, the reserve's buffer zone is spread in an area of 1,438 sq km where as many as 81 villages are located.
Keeping in view the convenience of the forest dwellers who largely depend on collecting minor forest produce to earn livelihood and development of the region, an experts committee was constituted to review the situation and had been asked to submit a report on it, it said.

The experts committee has in its report recommended to decrease the buffer area to 513 sq km from 1,438 sq km.
Earlier, 81 villages were affected by the tiger project while after recommendations, a total of 77 villages will be out of the purview of buffer zone, the release said adding that the proposal, including these recommendations, will be sent to the Centre.

During the meeting, Chief Minister Raman Singh stressed upon the need to protect and safeguard the precious bio-diversity of the state and instructed concerned officers to form bio-diversity committees at forest division level.
"There is a need to protect flora-fauna of the state. The forest-dwellers depend upon the forests for their livelihood and it is very important to look after the immense forest wealth," the statement said quoting CM as saying.
The Chhattisgarh Bio-Diversity Rule 2015 was also passed in the meeting. He further directed to prepare a master plan to protect the bio-diversity as early as possible.
Besides, a decision to operate Jan Suvidha Express for public transportation of forest-dwellers in Achankumar Tiger Reserve in Bilaspur-Mungeli districts was also taken, it said.

MLA Mahesh Gagda, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, Forest Department Principal Secretary R P Mandal and other officials were present in the meeting, it added.