The State Government has taken a decision to form three sub-committees consisting of members of State Board for Wildlife and forest officers to explore the possibility of declaring 14 conservation reserves/their portions as wildlife sanctuaries. It has issued a GR on Thursday in this connection.
The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) West, Mumbai, will be the Co-ordinating Officers for two sub-committees to examine Borgad, Mamdapur, Anjaneri, Muktai, Toranmal, Tilari, Jor-Jambhli, Panhalgad, Chandgad, Vishalgad, Amboli and Mayni Conservation Reserves. Chief Conservators of Forest (Regional), Nashik and Kolhapur will be the Chairmen of these two committees with five members plus two Member-Secretaries. Addl PCCF (Wildlife), East, Nagpur, will be the Co-ordinating Officer of the third committee for Munia and Kolamarka Conservation Reserves with Poonam Dhanwatey, Kundana Hate, Kishor Rithe and Bandu Dhotre as members. Deputy Conservator of Forest, Nagpur, will be the Member-Secretary of this sub-committee.
The committees will study dependence of local people on forest, grazing problems, reducing dependence on jungle, livelihood, study on including which villages, their rehabilitation, taking locals into confidence etc and submit their reports to the Prinicipal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) in three months.