Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Feb 4: The Goa government has strongly opposed the Central Empowered Committee’s (CEC) recommendation to notify a tiger reserve in the state, stating before the Supreme Court that the panel’s report is “vague”, contradictory and not backed by scientific, legal or ecological justification.
In an affidavit filed last week by additional principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden K Ramesh Kumar, the state government argued that the CEC failed to conduct a meaningful assessment of whether resident or breeding tiger populations exist in the Cotigao-Mhadei forest complex — a key factor required before declaring any area a tiger reserve under Section 38-V(1) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The affidavit pointed out that the Supreme Court-appointed committee, in its November 2025 report, had recommended that Goa initiate the tiger reserve notification process within three months. The CEC had suggested that the initial phase be restricted to areas contiguous to Karnataka’s Kali Tiger Reserve and having little or no human habitation.
However, the Goa government maintained that the CEC exceeded its scope by effectively issuing directions rather than limiting itself to an objective examination of the matter. It claimed the committee focused more on local population and habitation issues without first determining the existence and status of tiger presence in the region.
The state further submitted that the CEC’s own report acknowledges that tigers from Kali Tiger Reserve are only transient visitors to Goa’s protected areas and do not reside there or use them for breeding. Goa argued that its existing protected areas are already scientifically managed and provide adequate protection for all wildlife species, including tigers.
The affidavit stated that Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries and national park serve as an important corridor for tiger movement between Karnataka and Maharashtra, and declaring a tiger reserve would be “superfluous” while potentially triggering resentment among locals due to resettlement concerns, and increasing human-animal conflict.
The government also criticised the CEC for arbitrarily demarcating core and buffer zones without empirical scientific evidence and without assessing the socio-economic impact of such recommendations.
Citing the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) 2022 report, the Goa government said there was no recorded tiger presence in the areas currently proposed for notification, and argued that the benchmark for declaring a tiger reserve — confirmed resident and breeding tiger populations — had been ignored by the CEC.