The Centre has asked Chhattisgarh government to submit a proposal to National Tiger Conservation Authority to declare Guru Ghasidas National Park in the State as a tiger reserve, saying it had the potential to support a viable population of the big cat.
This national park lies between Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh and Jharkhand’s Palamau tiger reserves. It is also contiguous with Madhya Pradesh’s Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve.
In a letter to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said, “This would ensure (use of) the largest landscape within this part of Central India for tiger conservation“.
Noting that the area was surveyed by the Wildlife Institute of India last year, the Minister said, “Though the prey population in the habitat is very low at present, it has considerable diversity.”
“Therefore, with good management and protection under Project Tiger, the area has a potential for supporting a viable tiger population along with the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve,” Mr. Ramesh added.
