Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], January 21 : In the 26th meeting of the State Wildlife Board held in Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, it was informed that the Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary in Banaskantha has been included in the National Program for Bear Conservation by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), in this meeting, held in the presence of Forest and Environment Minister Arjunbhai Modhwadia and Minister of State Pravin Mali, details presented to the Chief Minister also stated that a tiger has been observed in the Ratanmahal Sanctuary and that there is a strong possibility of it settling there permanently.
In this context, the meeting also discussed planning community participation training for residents on tiger conservation and protection in the area, in collaboration with the NTCA.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed the Forest Department to ensure that the rising number of tourists and visitors in the state's protected forest areas does not cause any harm or disturbance to wildlife.
He instructed that eco-tourism be promoted and visitor policy guidelines be formulated. The meeting also discussed plans to identify a sanctuary location in the near future for Gujarat's growing leopard population, including rescued leopards.
In the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Forest Minister Arjun Modhwadia, and Minister of State Pravin Mali, around 18 proposals related to roads, water supply, optical fibre, renewable energy, power transmission lines, and other facilities within sanctuaries and national parks were placed before the meeting for approval.
MLAs Mahesh Kaswala, Devabhai Malam, Smt. Maltiben Maheshwari and others participated in the meeting and offered suggestions for wildlife conservation. The meeting was conducted by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Jaipal Singh.