Panaji, Jul 16 (IANS): After the Goa government rejected the proposal to set up a tiger reserve in the state, environmentalists working to save the Mhadei river have called the move another nail in Mhadei's coffin.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday that Goa's small wildlife sanctuaries did not fit the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) criteria for setting up a tiger reserve.

With tigers spotted in Goa in 2014 and 2018, there is increasing demand for setting up a tiger reserve in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, but the government said that it is not a fit case for Goa.

The NTCA had mooted a proposal for a tiger reserve in Goa after the All India Tiger Estimation in 2014. Around 5 tigers were spotted in 2014, while 3 were seen in 2018 in the state as per the records of the NTCA.

After the alleged killing of a tigress and three cubs near Golauli village in Sattari adjoining the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in 2020, the government had taken the issue seriously and had investigated the matter.

Soon after this incident, a cow was killed by a tiger who dragged its body away. The locals had expressed fear over the movement of tigers.

“There has been an increase in the movement of tigers in the forests of Goa. One tigress and three cubs were found dead near Golauli village in Sattari adjoining Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a suspected case of revenge killing through poisoning as tigers had killed a few cattle of the villagers. Five suspects were arrested, who confessed to killing the tigers through poisoning,” the government had stated in 2020.

The tiger population in Goa migrates between Goa and the adjoining states of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The government of Goa has said that it is fully committed to protect its wild animals as well as the people while dealing with human - wildlife conflict. “There are 6 wildlife sanctuaries and one National Park spread through an area of 745 sq. km. for conservation and management of wildlife in the state. There are many villages in and around the wildlife sanctuaries. Therefore, human-wild animal conflict is a normal phenomenon. However, the forest department is making all possible efforts to minimize the conflicts,” it said.

Though environmentalists demand a tiger reserve to save the Mhadei river from getting diverted, some people from Sattari object to it stating it will impose restrictions on their movement in the areas where their cashew plantations are located.

According to government records, the NTCA had mooted a proposal for the constitution of a tiger reserve in Goa, after the All India Tiger Estimation, 2014.

“As the Protected Areas of Goa form a contiguous corridor with Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, a proposal to constitute a tiger reserve was discussed in the meeting of the State Board of Wildlife held in October, 2016,” the government records stated.

According to the opposition parties in Goa, notifying the tiger reserve would make the state's case against Karnataka stronger to stop diversion of water from the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary.

The Mhadei Bachao Abhiyaan, an organisation which is fighting to save the Mhadei river, has said that the ‘Mhadei case’ in the Supreme Court would have got support if a tiger reserve was set up.

“The Goa government's reluctance to declare the state's forests as tiger reserve is another nail in the coffin of Mhadei,” Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan president and former minister Nirmala Sawant said.

She said that admission of the Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court is not a moment to celebrate, but it was the duty of the lawyers who represent Goa to seek a ban on construction carried out by the Karnataka government for diverting water from the Mhadei basin.

"Had the government taken steps for a tiger reserve, it would have solved all the issues regarding the Mhadei. It would have strengthened our case against Karnataka to save the Mhadei river. Rejecting the proposal for a tiger reserve has hammered another nail in the coffin of the Mhadei river,” she said.

"Tigers help the ecological balance. We need to protect them and also our environment,” she added.

Nirmala Sawant also expressed unhappiness over spending public money on lawyers. "Maharashtra has engaged three, Karnataka has engaged eight lawyers and the Goa government has engaged 18 lawyers in the Supreme Court,” she said.

According to her, this team of lawyers should have demanded before the apex court to stop Karnataka from carrying out any work in the Mhadei basin.

She said that the Goa government should challenge and ask the Central government to withdraw the approval given to Karnataka's Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the disputed Kalsa-Bhanduri dam project.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said that the Supreme Court has admitted the Special Leave Petition filed by Goa challenging the award of the Mhadei tribunal and has fixed the matter for hearing from November 28.

“A great start to the week for Goa and Goans. In a major boost to Goa’s legal battle for River Mhadei, the Supreme Court of India, today, admitted the Special Leave Petition filed by the State of Goa challenging the award of the Mhadei tribunal. The Supreme Court now fixes the matter for hearing from 28th November 2023. The Supreme Court also asks the order of Wildlife Warden to be produced before it. Also grants time to file additional evidence within 4 weeks,” Sawant had tweeted.