CHANDRAPUR TOP NEWS UPDATES.
Former NCP minister wants Gadchiroli, Chandrapur to be part of Telangana
"If separate Vidarbha is not happening, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur should be merged with Telangana so that development comes to these backward districts," said Atram, a tribal leader from the royal Gond family of Sironcha. "Hyderabad is just 400 km away while Mumbai is 1,100 km away. Also, there is a sizeable Telugu-speaking population here."
Atram and seven others are accused in the poaching case in which charges are yet to be framed. He was arrested on August 30, 2008, allegedly for killing two chinkaras and a hare on June 14, 2008. Then an NCP MLA, Atram was removed from the ministry.
Atram's statement has been rejected by leaders in Vidarbha. "The demand seems to have made out of frustration that Gadchiroli has been neglected... We must try to understand the sentiment behind it," said Sudhir Mungantiwar, former BJP state president and Ballarpur MLA. Naresh Pugalia, former Chandrapur MP, said: "Why should we go to Telangana? The demand has been made out of frustration."
Sironcha tehsil was part of erstwhile Nizam territory and has had a history of agitation for merger with Andhra Pradesh.
Mana leopard returns to home range, attacks boy.
CHANDRAPUR: The dreaded Mana leopardess has return to its home territory taking a long circuit of over 100km through the forests. Even as forest department has stepped up efforts to recapture the beast, the leopardess attacked a teenage boy near flooded Mana opencast mine in the city on Friday evening. This was third human attack by the leopardess after it was radio collared and released last month.
People in Nandgaon
and Samruddhi Nagar localities are living under terror following
repeated intrusion by the leopardess since last three days. On Friday,
Rohit Bahuria, 15, resident of Lalpeth locality, was going home after
fishing at the flooded mine when the beast attacked him. He was admitted
at a private hospital and discharged on Saturday.
The Mana leopardess was caged in Lalpeth on May 11 following intense public pressure after the animal injured a kid and killed a woman in the area. Earlier, it had attacked at least five people and injured them seriously. It was kept in captivity for nearly three months and released with a radio collar on August 3 in Agarzari forest in buffer zone of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
Immediately after its release the leopardess started for its home range. It moved from Agarzari forest to Walni and Borda forests, where it stayed for few days making multiple intrusions in villages and killing several cattle and hens. It also injured two people on August 18 and August 21 in the same area. As tranquillizing team began hunting for the leopardess and cages were laid, the beast moved towards Mahadwadi forest in Chichpalli range.
As it was radio collared, forest department continuously kept an eye on its movement. From Mahadwadi it moved to forest of Gilibili, Kalmana, then into forest near Bamni. It then started moving through Ballarpur and Karwa forests and finally came to Mana Tekdi, its home range, travelling over 100km in one month.
"We have traced the Mana leopardess location in its home range. However, there is also another leopard in the same area. We have already kept two cages there and more cages are being laid. Live baits have been kept with camera traps around them to confirm the identity of the beast," said Chandrapur DFO ND Choudhari. He claimed that patrolling has been intensified in the area and tranquillizing team is also being mobilized to recapture the beast.
Kanhalgaon in Chandrapur proposed to be a sanctuary.
In
a bid to maintain sanctity of north-south tiger corridor between
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the north and Kawal Wildlife
Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh to the south, the forest department has proposed Kanhalgaon, vital link in Central Chanda, to be made a sanctuary.
The proposal, prepared on the directions from the state government, was
sent to the chief wildlife warden in April. However, due to hiccups
over host of wildlife issues like man-animal conflict and locals
dependence on forests, the government is going slow on the proposal, it
seems.
Deputy conservator of forest (DyCF) for Central Chanda Division MM
Kulkarni confirmed that a 370 sq km proposal was sent to the PCCF
(wildlife) in April. Total area of the new sanctuary includes 152
compartments of reserve forest (RF), where there are no rights of
people, besides 176.78 hectare private area.
The proposed sanctuary includes 5,813.531 hectare (58.13 sq km) area of Kothari range in Central Chanda and 31,134 hectare (311.34 sq km) area of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), a state-owned commercial corporation. Almost 90% of the area is in the possession of FDCM, which has large-scale felling operations as per approved working plan.
The 625 sq km TATR is a key link to Kanhalgaon, Chaprala in Gadchiroli and Kawal in Andhra. Part of the proposed sanctuary area is also adjacent to Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary. The proposed area has good natural water sources and excellent vegetation with good prey base. It is a compact block situated in the southern part of Chandrapur district.
Dispersing population from Tadoba not only makes the area rich in tigers but it is a natural habitat of variety of wild animals. Apart from tigers, wildlife in this area includes leopards, jungle cat, jackal, fox, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, blue bull, wild boar, sloth bear, wild dog, gaur etc. As per the 2012 estimation, there are 10 tigers in Central Chanda division overlapping the proposed Kanhalgaon area, which was once a shooting block.
However, leaders fear the proposed sanctuary is surrounded by villages in Dhaba range which put huge biotic pressure on the proposed area. Rajura MLA Subhas Dhote was cautious about supporting the proposal. Talking to TOI, he said, "I feel there are both advantages and disadvantages about declaring the area a sanctuary. On one side it will go a long way in protecting forest and wildlife but at the same time deprive locals of their needs from forests."
Dhote added he was not averse to the new sanctuary. "But I'm confused whether Kanhalgaon be declared a sanctuary when we already have Tadoba and Chaprala. I will talk to the people before giving my consent," he said.
However, Chandrapur honorary wildlife warden Bandu Dhotre allayed Dhote's fears. Dhotre agreed there are 30-40 villages in Dhaba, but forest area of Dhaba has not been included in the proposal. Only two villages - Ganpur and Kanhalgaon - will fall in the new sanctuary. Of this Ganpur is on the roadside and hence need not be relocated.
Dhotre says sanctuary will bring income from ecotourism. "As it is locals have been deprived of employment as FDCM engages labourers from MP and Chhatisgarh for its felling operations. Sanctuary will open up employment opportunities for locals besides conserving tigers."
The proposed sanctuary includes 5,813.531 hectare (58.13 sq km) area of Kothari range in Central Chanda and 31,134 hectare (311.34 sq km) area of Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), a state-owned commercial corporation. Almost 90% of the area is in the possession of FDCM, which has large-scale felling operations as per approved working plan.
The 625 sq km TATR is a key link to Kanhalgaon, Chaprala in Gadchiroli and Kawal in Andhra. Part of the proposed sanctuary area is also adjacent to Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary. The proposed area has good natural water sources and excellent vegetation with good prey base. It is a compact block situated in the southern part of Chandrapur district.
Dispersing population from Tadoba not only makes the area rich in tigers but it is a natural habitat of variety of wild animals. Apart from tigers, wildlife in this area includes leopards, jungle cat, jackal, fox, spotted deer, sambar, barking deer, blue bull, wild boar, sloth bear, wild dog, gaur etc. As per the 2012 estimation, there are 10 tigers in Central Chanda division overlapping the proposed Kanhalgaon area, which was once a shooting block.
However, leaders fear the proposed sanctuary is surrounded by villages in Dhaba range which put huge biotic pressure on the proposed area. Rajura MLA Subhas Dhote was cautious about supporting the proposal. Talking to TOI, he said, "I feel there are both advantages and disadvantages about declaring the area a sanctuary. On one side it will go a long way in protecting forest and wildlife but at the same time deprive locals of their needs from forests."
Dhote added he was not averse to the new sanctuary. "But I'm confused whether Kanhalgaon be declared a sanctuary when we already have Tadoba and Chaprala. I will talk to the people before giving my consent," he said.
However, Chandrapur honorary wildlife warden Bandu Dhotre allayed Dhote's fears. Dhotre agreed there are 30-40 villages in Dhaba, but forest area of Dhaba has not been included in the proposal. Only two villages - Ganpur and Kanhalgaon - will fall in the new sanctuary. Of this Ganpur is on the roadside and hence need not be relocated.
Dhotre says sanctuary will bring income from ecotourism. "As it is locals have been deprived of employment as FDCM engages labourers from MP and Chhatisgarh for its felling operations. Sanctuary will open up employment opportunities for locals besides conserving tigers."
