Panaji, Oct 24 (IANS): Former environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said as the three-month deadline given by the high court to the Goa government to notify the Mhadei Tiger Reserve ends will it will notify or stonewall it, and will the Modi government get the BJP state government to finally fall in line.

In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Today the three-month deadline given by the High Court and upheld by the Supreme Court for the Goa government to notify the Mhadei Tiger Reserve gets over."

Firing salvos, the former environment minister said, "What will the Goa government do? Will it notify or will it stonewall?"

The Congress leader said the surprising bit is the "defiance" of the state government when the Union government -- including the present one -- has consistently been in favour of the Mhadei Tiger Reserve being notified.

"Will the Modi government get the BJP state government to finally fall in line?" Ramesh added.

The three-month deadline set by the Bombay High Court to Goa to declare and notify the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas as tiger reserve, ends on Tuesday.

In the last week of September, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear a plea filed by the Goa government and others challenging the Bombay High Court order on the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary issue.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra had sought responses from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and others on the petition.