Bhopal: Expressing concern over disappearance of tigers from Madhya Pradesh's Panna Tiger Reserve, Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh wrote a letter to state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to initiate action against the concerned officials. The minister also sent the report of Special Investigation Committee along with the letter.
Significantly, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in its 29-page report revealed the reasons behind disappearance of tigers from the reserve. Forest officials, who were posted in the tiger reserve from the years 2002 to 2008, were in a fix after disclosure of this sensational report, forest office sources said. Jairam, in his letter, pointed out that principal reason for missing of tigers in the tiger reserve was unmindful killing of the big cats. According to NTCA report, maximum number of tigers disappeared from 2003 to 2005. The Union Minister also said that accountability should be fixed on this issue and disciplinary action should be taken against the erring officials.
Meanwhile, the panel set up by the Madhya Pradesh government to probe how tigers have disappeared from the Panna Tiger Reserve will begin its work Thursday, officials said. The central government had earlier criticised the state government for failing to pay heed to the warnings about the tigers' disappearance from Panna. In April, a team constituted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) found that there were no tigers in the Panna reserve. The four-member Central Inquiry Committee, comprising India's top wildlife experts, said Panna had no tigers since January.
Committee chairman and former NTCA director PK Sen, expressed surprise that the government had shifted two tigresses from Kanha and Bandhavgarh tiger reserves to Panna in March, claiming that tigers were present. “It is regrettable that not even one tiger is left in Panna,” he said. The committee said that carelessness on the part of the forest department officials could not be ruled out.  However, the forest department contested the enquiry committee's claim and said it was too early to estimate tiger numbers in Panna as the big cats move from one place to another.
However, on the directives of Minister of State for Forests Rajendra Shukla, the government formed a panel to look into the disappearance of big cats in Panna. “We want to know the reasons that led to the disappearance of tigers in Panna and ensure that the big cat population is protected in Madhya Pradesh,” Shukla said. He said a tiger count in 2006 showed that there were about 15 to 30 tigers in Panna. The six-member committee formed by the state government includes NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal, former director of Wildlife Institute of India HS Pawar, principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) HS Pabla and former PCCF JJ Dutta, among others. “The panel after reaching Panna Thursday would hold public hearings, interrogate officials and also seek relevant documents required for the probe,” Pabla told media persons.