Centre rejects Satpura tiger reserve denotification proposal

New Delhi: The Environment Ministry has rejected a proposal seeking denotification of land inside Satpura tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh for religious functions and roads, officials said here today. The Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) chaired by Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has rejected the proposal citing that the proposed area is an "important source site" for tigers, they said.

"The area proposed to be denotified is within the core tiger habitat of a reserve that functions as an important source site for tigers," NBWL Standing Committee member Prerna Singh Bindra said. "Besides, Satpura is a botanically important `relict` site and a faunal bridge representing unique floral species common to Western Ghats and the Himalayas. Such a denotification is unacceptable," she told PTI. Mahadev Mela Samiti Pachmarhi, which had deamnded denotification of the land, said the annual religious fair is attended by lakhs of people every year and basic amenities like drinking water, sanitation and medical facilities have to be provided to them in the forests in case of emergency. PTI