NGT Panel to Probe Illegal Kilns, Crushers in MP Tiger Reserve

 Bhopal: Illegal brick kilns operating in the buffer zone of the Ratapani Tiger Reserve, extending from Bhopal to Raisen in Madhya Pradesh, have caused serious damage to the biodiversity of the wildlife sanctuary leading to the loss of habitat of the wild animals.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a joint committee comprising Raisen district collector, local divisional forest officer (DFO) and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (PCB) to probe the issue after taking cognizance of a complaint filed by a local sarpanch in this regard, NGT sources said on Saturday.

The sarpanch of the Bamnai gram panchayat falling under Raisen district has lodged a complaint with NGT citing mushrooming of illegal brick kilns in in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve, leading to air and water pollution, caused by the smoke, billowing from these units, and ashes, generated from them.

The NGT has asked the joint committee to submit its report within six weeks, sources said.

Meanwhile, wildlife activist Ajey Dubey said that rampant illicit tree felling has been going on in the RTR for decades, causing immense damage to the biodiversity of the reserve and subsequently the habitat of the wild animals.

The brick kilns have been operating illegally with the patronage from the influential people since the past four decades, he alleged and added that these units have been felling the trees in the forests illegally to use them as fuel for their units.

“Lakhs of trees in the Ratapani wildlife sanctuary were felled in the last four decades and the illicit tree cutting has been going on unchecked until now”, Mr. Dubey who played a key role in the declaration of the wildlife sanctuary as the tiger reserve in December last said.

According to him, besides the illicit brick kilns, illegal stone crushers are also operating in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve unhindered.

Brick kilns, stone crushers and illegal mining have caused extensive damage to the rich biodiversity of the reserve, he said.

These influential persons had earlier been resisting the move to declare the Ratapani wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve for the past 12 years, he said.

Mr. Dubey had earlier moved the Madhya Pradesh high court to secure a directive to the state government to declare it a tiger reserve.

Ratapani is home to more than 60 tigers.