The Vanishing Act: Goa's Crucial Tiger Reserve File Mysteriously Disappears Amidst Conservation Battle

A cloak-and-dagger mystery has enveloped Goa's vital wildlife conservation efforts, as a crucial government file pertaining to the establishment of the Mhadei tiger reserve has inexplicably gone missing. This stunning revelation was made to the Supreme Court-mandated Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which recently visited the state to assess the ground realities of the proposed reserve, leaving environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts reeling in disbelief and outrage.

The disappearance of the file, formally acknowledged by the Goa government itself through an affidavit stating it was 'untraceable,' casts a long, dark shadow over the state's commitment to protecting its dwindling tiger population.

For years, conservationists have championed the Mhadei region – a significant wildlife corridor connecting Goa with Karnataka and Maharashtra – as an indispensable habitat for tigers, whose presence has been repeatedly documented within its lush forests.

The battle for the Mhadei tiger reserve is not new.

Environmental groups have been advocating for its declaration since as early as 2007. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) also weighed in, identifying Goa as a potential tiger habitat in 2011. The pinnacle of these efforts came in July 2023, when the Supreme Court issued a categorical directive, ordering the Goa government to officially notify the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary and its contiguous areas as a tiger reserve within a strict three-month timeframe.

This deadline, unfortunately, has long passed.

In a move that sparked widespread controversy, the state government had subsequently appealed the apex court's order, putting forth the contentious argument that tigers are not native to Goa but merely transient visitors. This stance has consistently drawn the ire of conservationists who point to substantial evidence of resident tigers.

The timing and nature of the file's disappearance have fueled intense suspicion among environmentalists.

They allege that this is no mere bureaucratic oversight but a deliberate, calculated attempt to obstruct the establishment of the tiger reserve and undermine the Supreme Court's mandate. The process of declaring a tiger reserve is an intricate one, involving clearances and consultations across multiple government departments, making the vanishing act of such a pivotal document deeply perplexing and alarming.

Adding to the enigma, forest department officials, including the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), have reportedly expressed complete ignorance regarding the file's whereabouts.

This lack of accountability and transparency further compounds the frustration of those fighting to protect Goa's rich biodiversity. The question looms large: how can such a critical government record simply vanish without a trace?

The CEC's findings and its subsequent report to the Supreme Court will now be paramount.

With the state government's perceived defiance and the baffling mystery of the missing file, the future of the Mhadei tiger reserve, and indeed, Goa's endangered tiger population, hangs precariously in the balance. This ongoing saga is not just about a missing document; it's a testament to the fierce, often clandestine, struggle between conservation imperatives and administrative inertia in one of India's most biodiverse regions.