Status quo to continue; parties get 3 weeks to reply to findings
PANAJI
The Supreme Court has granted a one-week extension to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), appointed by the court, to submit its report on the proposal to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and surrounding areas as a tiger reserve. The Bench has also allowed three weeks for all concerned parties to file their replies to the CEC report.
The apex court has meanwhile continued its September 8 order directing status quo on all development activities in the protected areas.
The CEC, which had sought additional time to finalise its report, is scheduled to visit Goa for the second time from November 16 to 18 to conduct field visits and seek further clarity on the issue.
In its submission, the committee informed the court that the process of examination and preparation of the report was underway and that certain documents and information were awaited from the Government of Goa and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). It stated that the report would be finalised and submitted once the pending data is received.
Taking note of the CEC’s submissions, the Supreme Court granted a one-week extension for filing the report and three weeks for the parties to file their replies. The matter has now been adjourned and will be listed after four weeks.
The CEC had earlier visited Goa in October for a hands-on study of the proposed tiger reserve. During the visit, CEC member Sunil Limaye and the team inspected the Kalay forest area to assess the ground realities and held consultations with stakeholders, including forest officials, environmentalists, the petitioner, and elected representatives from Valpoi, Poriem, Sanguem, Canacona and other areas.
In July 2023, the High Court of Bombay at Goa had directed the State government to notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining areas, as identified by the NTCA and the Goa Forest Department, as a tiger reserve within three months. The Goa government later filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the High Court order.
On September 8 this year, the Supreme Court ordered status quo on all development activities in the proposed tiger reserve area and directed the CEC to examine the issue and submit a report within six weeks. The committee held its first hearing with the stakeholders, including the Goa government and the petitioner Goa Foundation, on September 16.
Several elected representatives and villagers objected to the tiger reserve proposal. The government maintained that the Mhadei protected area serves merely as a corridor for tigers moving between Maharashtra and Karnataka, and that there is no scientific evidence to suggest the presence of resident tigers in Goa.
