Tiger Zinda Hai?
* Supreme Court grants Goa Foundation two weeks to respond to CEC report
* Next hearing scheduled for March 19, 2026
* CEC recommends tiger reserve over 468.6 sq km in phased manner
* Netravali and Cotigao proposed as core areas
* Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and National Park areas proposed as buffer
* Reserve to connect with Karnataka’s Kali Tiger Reserve corridor
* Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary not included at this stage
* Goa government opposes reserve, cites lack of resident tiger population
* Supreme Court orders probe into missing Forest Department files
By Satyavatinandan Satrekar
The matter pertaining to the proposed Goa Tiger Reserve came up for hearing before the Supreme Court of India on February 19, where the petitioner, Goa Foundation, was granted two weeks to file its response to the report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC). The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for March 19, 2026.
The issue traces back to an earlier order of the Bombay High Court, which had directed the creation of a tiger reserve in Goa. The Goa government subsequently challenged this direction before the Supreme Court. During earlier hearings, the apex court had asked the CEC to examine the matter and submit a detailed report on the feasibility and necessity of a tiger reserve in the state.
Following visits to Goa and consultations with government officials, stakeholders, and the petitioner, the CEC submitted its report recommending the creation of a tiger reserve spread across 468.6 square kilometres of already notified protected forest areas, to be implemented in a phased manner.
The CEC has proposed a two phase structure for the reserve. In Phase I, the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary (211.05 sq km) and Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary (85.65 sq km) would be jointly designated as core areas, forming a contiguous tiger habitat of 296.7 sq km. The report notes that this landscape aligns seamlessly with the adjoining Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, strengthening an important wildlife corridor in the Western Ghats and supporting long term tiger conservation.
The committee has further recommended that parts of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary North (64.9 sq km) and Bhagwan Mahaveer National Park (107 sq km) be designated as buffer areas, adding another 171.9 sq km to the conservation landscape. The buffer zones are intended to promote coexistence, regulate human activities, and protect surrounding forests from pressures such as mining and infrastructure expansion. The report does not include the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in either the core or buffer areas at this stage.
The Goa government has opposed the proposal, describing the CEC report as erroneous and unscientific. It has maintained that a tiger reserve is not necessary for Goa, arguing that the state does not have a resident or breeding tiger population and only records occasional transient tiger movement.
During Thursday’s hearing, the Supreme Court also directed its Secretary General to investigate the reported disappearance of files related to the Goa Tiger Reserve from the custody of the state Forest Department.
The case will now come up for further consideration on March 19 after the petitioner files its response to the CEC report.
