From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jul 26: After the bitter and vehement opposition to UNESCO’s move to confer the World Heritage tag for the Western Ghats, Karnataka has now stoutly opposed the Centre’s move to declare the Kudremukh National Park (KNP) as a tiger reserve and expand the Bhadra Wildlife Range.
''We are strongly opposed to the Union Government’s proposal for declaring Kudremukh National Park as a tiger reserve as it would affect the normal life of the local people,” Karnataka’s forest minister C P Yogeshwar declared in the State Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Replying to M Raghupathi Bhat (BJP) in the Legislative Assembly during the zero hour Yogeeshwar said a Government Order would be issued soon spelling out the State’s stand on opposing the Union Government’s proposal to declare Kudremukh National Park as the tiger reserve and extension of area in the Bhadra wildlife.
He explained that the State has five tiger reserves - Bandipur, Nagarahole, Anshi-Dandeli, Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) range and Bhadra wildlife ranges.
''We don’t see any valid reason for creating yet another tiger reserve in the State and declaring the Kudremukh National Park as a tiger reserve,” he said.
The minister said: ''The area for tiger habitats is already large in the State. Tiger population has also increased in the State in the last few years.”
The Centre had recently written to the State Government on its move to declare KNP as tiger reserve and also extend the areas of tiger reserve at Bhadra wildlife ranges but the State had decided to reject the proposals, the Minister said.
Raghupati Bhat said life of 1500 tribal families in 142 villages would be impacted if tiger reserve was established at KNP and wanted the government to reject the proposal.
Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who held the Environment and Forest Ministry earlier, had urged the State Government during his recent visit to Mangalore to declare KMP as a tiger reserve.
However, former Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had strongly opposed the proposal during the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha byelection.
Gopal Bhandari (Congress), M P Kumaraswamy (BJP) and Food and Civil Supplies Minister D N Jeevaraj also opposed the proposal on declaring KNP as the tiger reserve.
Jeevaraj, who hails from the Sringeri assembly constituency in Chikmagalur district, said he was voicing the sentiments of the people of the region who are opposed to the move.
''In a federal set up, it was not good on the part of the Centre to exert pressure on the State Government to set up of tiger reserves against the wishes of local people,” he said pointing out the lives of human beings were more important than wild animals.
The minister also contended that tiger was no longer an endangered species as is evident from the growing tiger population in the State.