Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Elected representatives from several constituencies in Goa on Thursday voiced strong opposition before the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) against the proposal to declare the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas as a tiger reserve.
The CEC held its second round of consultations in Goa, engaging with government officials, petitioner Goa Foundation, environmentalists, MLAs from Valpoi, Poriem, Sanguem, Quepem, Sanvordem and Canacona, and other stakeholders to assess the feasibility of the proposal.
While the Goa government maintained that the Mhadei region functions merely as a tiger corridor between Maharashtra and Karnataka and lacks scientific evidence of resident tigers, it told the CEC that any final decision should be based on a detailed feasibility review.
Forest Minister and Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane, joined by Poriem MLA Deviya Rane, reiterated their opposition, warning that the declaration of a tiger reserve could displace nearly one lakh people across Goa. Vishwajit submitted detailed data asserting that tigers only transit through Goa and are not resident in the State. “I have full faith in the Supreme Court,” he said after the meeting.
Deviya Rane, accompanied by local panchayat members and villagers, also met the CEC, claiming that the proposal would severely impact the livelihoods of thousands of residents in Sattari.
Social Welfare Minister and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phal Dessai too objected strongly, cautioning that the move would worsen hardships for people in the hinterland areas. Citing the past displacement caused by the Selaulim Dam project, he said, “If one lakh people are to be rehabilitated, where will they go? It’s easy to sit in AC bungalows and demand a tiger reserve.” He further noted that with 68 per cent of Goa already under green cover, there was little room left for new settlements.
In contrast, environmentalists Claude Alvares and Rajendra Kerkar argued in favour of the tiger reserve. Alvares told reporters that fears of mass displacement were exaggerated. “It is wrong to say one lakh people will be affected. In my view, only around 5,000 people may need rehabilitation,” he said, adding that the state’s own wildlife management plan already demarcates core zones similar to tiger zones.
Kerkar emphasized that declaring the reserve would aid tiger conservation while strengthening Goa’s case in the ongoing Mhadei river water diversion dispute, offering both ecological and strategic advantages.
The CEC will submit its report to the Supreme Court by November 8.
