In A First, Tiger Census Covers Entire Chhattisgarh Reserve, Thanks To Fall Of ‘East Corridor’ Of Reds
“The entire USTR is now completely free of Naxal influence. For the first time in the history of USTR, tiger census is covering the entire reserve comprising 143 forest beats, this time. The previous tiger censuses could cover only 50 percent of the USTR due to the Naxal threat”: Deputy director, USTR, Varun Kumar Jain
RAIPUR: For the first time, all the 143 forest beats under the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) in Chhattisgarh are being covered under the ongoing census of the big cats, thanks to the fall of the ‘East Corridor’ of the reds.
In the previous tiger census, hardly 50 percent of the USTR could be covered as the remaining 50 percent had remained inaccessible due to the Naxal threat, a senior forest officer said on Friday.
“The entire USTR is now completely free of Naxal influence. For the first time in the history of USTR, tiger census is covering the entire reserve comprising 143 forest beats, this time. The previous tiger censuses could cover only 50 percent of the USTR due to the Naxal threat”, deputy director, USTR, Varun Kumar Jain told this newspaper.
Major part of the USTR, bordering Odisha, had been declared by Maoists as their liberated zone passing through the ‘East Corridor’ of the reds.
Dhamtari- Gariaband- Nuapada (DGN) division of Maoists was operating in the USTR area.
The Maoist division has collapsed recently following elimination and neutralization of its senior leaders.
This apart, the surrender of all the 15 senior leaders including the head of Balangir-Bargarh- Mahasamund (BBM) division of Maoists recently led to the fall of the ‘East Corridor’ of the Naxals.
The USTR came into being in 2009 with the merger of Udanti wildlife sanctuary and Sitanadi wildlife sanctuary.
Tiger sightings were not regular in the USTR till May 2025.
Tigers have however been frequently sighted and caught in the camera traps in the core and buffer areas in the USTR since May 2025.
The tiger count in the USTR in the current census will most likely be three, a senior forest officer said.
The ongoing tiger census may not cover the entire Indravati Tiger Reserve in Bijapur district under south Bastar due to the Naxal threats, sources said.
More than 50 percent area of the Indravati Tiger Reserve is still under the ‘control’ of the Maoists and security forces are currently battling the Leftwing Extremists to sanitize the area.
There are four tiger reserves in Chhattisgarh.
Other two tiger reserves are Achanakmar and Guru Ghasidas.
The current tiger census began on January three this year and is going to end in April.
