M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, May 18: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), in its review meeting held in Delhi on Tuesday, asked the management of the 53 tiger reserves in India to be ready with all essential data by June 15 regarding the all India estimation of tigers.
The NTCA is eager to have all the data of its entire fleet of the tiger reserves for compilation of it by June 15 as Global Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29. The NTCA has planned to release a summary report of all its tiger reserves on this day.
Giving this information, the deputy director of the south division of the Palamu Tiger Reserve Mukesh Kumar said, “We have assured the NTCA of reaching all data latest by June 15.”
Speaking to lagatar24.com today from Delhi Mukesh Kumar said, “We have a total of six blocks. Our estimation work in PTR is almost near completion except for two blocks 5 and 6 under the Bareysanr range.”
Mukesh said these two blocks 5 and 6 are in the contiguity of the Burha Pahar where we are going to fix camera traps for recording images of our wildlife here. ” By June 15, we will be completing these two blocks 5 and 6.”
Similarly, there are in all 36 divisions including 5 wildlife divisions in the whole of Jharkhand where data collection is in full swing.
On being asked why camera traps were not put in place here earlier, Mukesh Kumar said the high incidence of surface fire was one of the prime reasons behind it.
However, sources said putting camera traps in the contiguity of the Burha Pahar has to be done with lots of care and caution. Burha Pahar is still the invincible citadel of the CPI Maoists and Maoists see camera traps as suspicious devices which they fear it may record their presence or movement in the jungles and may reach the police.
Sources said the PTR officials have time and again conveyed the message that camera traps are only for wildlife and only its images are valued and none else. The PTR has cried at the top that it is only concerned with the legs of the wildlife, not of any human being and this has helped lessen the doubt and suspicion of the Maoists who trust the camera traps but with a pinch of salt.
The inspector general of forest NTCA Amit Mallick was said to have inquired about the status of the relocation of two villages Latu and Kujrum from the core area of PTR to the outside.
Mukesh Kumar said “The IG did ask for the updates on the relocation of the two villages Latu and Kujrum. We told him that there is a positive development of the relocation and it is only the issue of resettlement of the oustees that lies before us.”
Sources said 210 households would be resettled once their total migration from Latu and Kujrum is complete and over. These households have seen and identified plots of land for their resettlement also.
However, plots of land seen and identified by them are forest land and hence its diversion permission has to come from the government first.
Mukesh Kumar explained the use of forest land for human habitation has to have proper sanctioning from the government which in forest lingo is called diversion of the forest land.
Notably, the NTCA had called this meeting for the nodal officers of all the tiger bearing states of the rank of the field director and Mukesh Kumar represented Jharkhand on behalf of the field director of the PTR Kumar Ashutosh.
