The 11th Technical Committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has approved the proposal of the government of Chhattisgarh to declare the combined areas of the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary and the Guru Ghasidas National Park as the 4th Tiger reserve of Chhattisgarh.
- The proposal was approved under Section 38V(1) of The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 which states that “The State Government shall, on the recommendations of the Tiger Conservation Authority, notify an area as a tiger reserve”.
The other tiger reserves of Chhattisgarh are Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, Indravati Tiger Reserves, and Amarkantak – Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary
About the new Tiger Reserve:
i.The new tiger reserve is located in the northern part of Chhattisgarh bordering Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
ii.The new tiger reserve covers an area of 1440 sq km of Guru Ghasidas National Park and 608.5 sq km of Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary.
iii.The Guru Ghasidas National Park is in the Koriya district and the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary is in the Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh.
Significance of the new Tiger Reserve:
i.The new tiger reserve will connect Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and provide a corridor for tigers to move between the Bandhavgarh and Palamau Tiger Reserves.
ii.The Guru Ghasidas National Park is the last known habitat of the Asiatic cheetah in India.
iii.The Guru Ghasidas National Park which was a part of the Sanjay Dubri National Park was created as a separate entity in the Sarguja region of Chhattisgarh after the formation of the state in 2001.
About Chhattisgarh:
Chief Minister– Bhupesh Baghel
Airports– Swami Vivekananda Airport; Jagdalpur Airport
Festivals– Madai Festival; Narayanpur Mela; Bhoramdeo Festival
