New Delhi, Jan 16: The Supreme Court on Thursday favoured a uniform policy for management of tiger reserves throughout the country.
A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai, which was hearing a matter related to Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, observed that it wanted to have a common policy on a pan-India basis.
“We want a uniform policy throughout the country so far as management of tiger reserves are concerned,” said the bench, which also comprised Justices Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran.
The bench observed the policy should also include the aspect of vehicular movements inside Tiger reserves.
Justice Gavai referred to the suo motu cognisance taken recently by the Bombay High Court over an incident where safari vehicles carrying tourists obstructed the movement of a tigress and her cubs in Maharashtra’s Umred-Pauni-Karhandla Sanctuary on the New Year eve.
“In Nagpur, I came across a news item. Fortunately, the high court has taken a suo motu cognisance,” Justice Gavai observed.
Senior advocate K Parameshwar, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the matter, referred to an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the illegal construction and felling of trees in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
The bench said it had seen the CBI’s report in the matter.
The counsel appearing for the Uttarakhand government informed the bench about the status of a departmental inquiry initiated against officials who were allegedly involved in illegal felling of trees and illegal construction in the Tiger reserve.
