Mysuru: Even six years after a proposal was submitted to the Union govt to upgrade MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve, the project remains stalled.Speaking to TOI, deputy conservator of forests (DCF) MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhaskar said that though the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has given technical consent to declare the sanctuary a tiger reserve, the Union govt is waiting for the state govt’s nod before issuing the final notification.While the state govt is ready to give its consent, the move has faced opposition from political circles over concerns about tribal relocation and devotees going to temples deep inside the sanctuary. If approved, MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary would become the sixth tiger reserve in the state and the third in Chamarajanagar district.Though locals revere the tiger as ‘Huli Vahana’, the sacred vehicle of Lord Mahadeshwara, the 15th-century saint and an incarnation of Lord Shiva who lived in the hills, incidents of poisoning tigers to death have also been reported in the sanctuary, posing a major challenge to big cat conservation.Wildlife experts, meanwhile, said declaring MM Hills sanctuary a tiger reserve would provide an additional layer of protection for the tigers and enable forest department to scale up conservation efforts.According to experts, the NTCA releases more than Rs 10 crore annually to each tiger reserve for their maintenance. The Centre also provides funds for relocation of tribal settlements.Spread across 1,031 sq km and sharing its border with Tamil Nadu, MM Hills sanctuary has a population of 53,000 living in 15 tribal hamlets. Fearing backlash from locals, the state govt is allegedly hesitating to give its nod.Following last year’s incident of tiger deaths by poisoning and Supreme Court observations on the incident, the state govt submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that it would make a decision on the matter within six months after inviting fresh public objections.Fresh objections were collected from locals and submitted to the court on Aug 31, he said.Notably, those living in the MM Hills sanctuary will not be relocated even if it is upgraded to a tiger reserve. Tribals of Nagarahole and Dandeli continue to live in the thick forests without disturbance despite those areas being declared tiger reserves. The govt relocates people only if they come forward voluntarily, he said.Chamarajanagar Soliga Tribal Welfare Association secretary C Madegowda said locals, Soliga and Bedagampana tribals who live in large numbers in MM Hills, fear they will be relocated if the sanctuary is upgraded as a tiger reserve. The govt must first clear such doubts and then move ahead with the proposal, he said.
