Mungantiwar calls for fencing Pench reserve

Nagpur: Amid a boycott by stakeholders and local leaders, forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Tuesday asked forest officials to conduct a feasibility study to fence the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), a demand being strongly pushed by Ramtek Shiv Sena MLA Ashish Jaiswal to curb man-animal conflict.
However, sources said even before the study, chain-link fencing has been installed at Bandra and work is in progress at Paoni (united buffer) to prevent wild animals, especially tigers, from entering the adjacent agricultural fields.
Mungantiwar was addressing a marathon meeting called at the behest of Jaiswal at the district collectorate. PCCF (HoFF) Shomita Biswas, PCCF (wildlife) Vivek Khandekar, conservator of forest (CF) A Sreelakshmi, deputy conservator Bharat Singh Hada, Pench deputy director Prabhu Nath Shukla, assistant conservators (ACFs), and RFOs were present. Over 150 people from Ramtek tehsil, 90% of whom were fishermen, were also present at the meeting. They were keen on seeking fishing permission in Totladoh reservoir in the core area of Pench.
The meeting discussed the recent spurt in man-animal conflict in the Pench landscape. However, Ramtek MP Shyamkumar Barve, Nagpur ZP members Shantabai Kumre and Harish Uikey, and sarpanches from Ramtek and Parsheoni tehsils boycotted the meeting as local leaders wanted the minister to hold the meeting at Deolapar, where the tribals from most of the villages on the fringes of Pench have launched a chain-hunger strike since Sunday, raising various demands.
Mungantiwar called to strengthen mitigation measures by providing smart sticks to the local people and improving communication between people and primary response teams (PRTs). He also suggested training doctors at PHCs to treat tiger attack victims.
On September 18, farmer Chandrakant Ingle from Parsheoni tehsil, who was attacked by a tiger and suffered huge blood loss, was referred to Nagpur as he did not get proper treatment at the PHC. Mungantiwar also called for procuring patrolling and monitoring equipment like vehicles and camera traps using funds from District Mining Fund (DMF) and DPDC.
Sources said the minister also suggested creating grass plots and intensify awareness in villages. He ask for fresh calculation of the carrying capacity of the park and identifying tigers that are unable to hunt. The minister asked for AI-based monitoring and illuminating dark patches in the buffer and providing buses to schoolchildren in problem areas.
However, wildlife experts have flayed the idea of fencing the tiger reserve. "A similar attempt in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) in 2019-20 was unsuccessful and has failed to curb conflict. Secondly, as per NTCA guidelines, fencing is not advisable as it blocks the free movement of wild animals. In the long term, it will lead to inbreeding and infighting between big carnivores," they said.
Meanwhile, tribal leaders have decided to intensify the agitation for their demands. "Why can't the forest minister come to Deolapar to address our problems? The conflict has gone up to alarming levels and in the last two years, 14 people died in wild animal attacks," said Ramtek MP Shyamkumar Barve.
"There are some managerial problems with Pench. The tiger reserve has huge lantana which is shrinking tiger habitats and hence the tigers are coming out into agricultural fields. You have reserved areas for wild animals and hence they should live there," said Harish Uikey.