Stricter enforcement of visitor conductrules at Maha tiger reserves this season | Nagpur News

Nagpur: With April’s peak tourist season weeks away, sources in the forest dept say enforcement of visitor conduct rules will be tightened this season across Maharashtra’s tiger reserves, following the March 16 incident at Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), in which tourists alighted from their vehicle to film a tiger on Padmapur-Moharli public road — an act that attracted action by officials and prompted TATR to announce a dedicated patrol vehicle and CCTVs at sensitive crossing points.Officials said all tiger reserves in the state will ensure stricter implementation of the existing rules, while adding there is a need to sensitize people over human-animal conflict. Sources said violations can attract monetary fines as well, apart from other strict penalties.Alighting from vehicles inside forest stretches is prohibited under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — the same provision under which the March 16 case was registered against tourists who stepped out near a sub-adult cub of tigress Chhoti Madhu as it attempted to cross Padmapur-Moharli road. The difference however was that the latter was a public road, while safaris were conducted on restricted roads, where alighting is strictly disallowed.The Padmapur-Moharli road stretch, identified as the most sensitive tiger crossing corridor in TATR buffer zone, sees regular movement of tourists heading to resorts and local residents travelling between 95 villages interspersed in the buffer landscape, with state transport buses also using the same roads. TATR officials said live CCTV feeds being installed at around 10 crossing points would be monitored from the control room, enabling real-time response when animals are on the road.With Maharashtra home to Tadoba, Melghat, Pench, Navegaon-Nagzira and Bor tiger reserves, officials said consistent enforcement across all reserves was essential ahead of the high-footfall season.