CM Devendra Fadnavis Directs Three-Month Plan to Curb Tiger Attacks in Gadchiroli

Plan to Be Formulated Under the Guidance of ‘Mitra’ CEO Praveen Pardeshi

Mumbai : Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also serves as the guardian minister of Gadchiroli, has directed the formulation of a three-month action plan to prevent tiger attacks on humans in the district. He emphasized the need for expert analysis of the situation and urgent implementation of special measures. The plan will include relocation of surplus tigers and special compensation for families of those who lost their lives in tiger attacks over the past five years.

Taking serious note of the increasing human casualties due to tiger attacks, CM Fadnavis instructed immediate action based on the demands of the local population. He appointed ‘Mitra’ CEO Praveen Pardeshi to lead the plan’s development. Following this, Pardeshi held a high-level meeting with senior forest officials in Nagpur, discussing solutions and their implementation.

The meeting was attended by Shomita Biswas, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), Vivek Khandekar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr. Ramchandra Ramgaonkar, Chief Conservator & Field Director of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, and S. Ramesh Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forests for Gadchiroli Division.

Special Compensation for Families of Victims of Tiger Attacks

Over the past five years, more than 50 people have lost their lives to tiger attacks in Gadchiroli, Chamorshi, Armori, Wadsa, and Dhanora regions. CM Fadnavis has ordered the collection of data on all victims and their families and mandated the relocation of surplus tigers within three months.

A meeting was held under the guidance of Praveen Pardeshi to finalize the action plan. Several key measures were discussed, including:

• Forest thinning in Chaprala and Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuaries to increase grasslands and support herbivore populations, ensuring a natural prey base for tigers.
• Appointment of ‘Forest Patils’ in each village, similar to Police Patils, to enhance local vigilance.
• Supply of CBG (Compressed Biogas) gas through pipelines to reduce the need for villagers to enter forests for fuelwood collection. Villagers will be encouraged to grow grass on their farms to support CBG gas production, with plans to set up a CBG gas plant in the region.
• Faster compensation for crop losses due to wildlife damage through e-panchanama (digital assessment).
• Relocation of six villages from Chaprala Sanctuary, with social and economic assessments of affected communities and identification of new resettlement sites.

Additionally, experts from organizations like the Wildlife Institute of India will be appointed to assist in developing mitigation strategies. It was also noted that many tigers involved in human-wildlife conflicts are aged or injured, necessitating a strategic relocation policy. The discussion also focused on mitigation plans for high-risk areas to ensure long-term solutions to the human-wildlife conflict.