Published On : Mon, Dec 14th, 2015

A tiger hunted in Umred-Karhandla Sanctuary in 2013, 17 poachers charge-sheeted: Mungantiwar

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Nagpur: The Assembly proceedings on the Day-1 of Second Week of Maharashtra Legislature Winter Session commenced at 12 noon. The Question Hour comprised of 68 starred questions related to different ministries including Finance, Planning, Rural Development, Water Resources, Employment Guarantee Scheme, Women and Children Welfare, Public Health and Family Welfare etc. Of the 68 questions, 8 were of State-level, 12 Vidarbha-level and 3 related to Nagpur District.

Member Gulabrao Patil raised the issues of tiger poaching in Nagpur District’s Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary.
Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that Umred-Karhandla was declared Wildlife Sanctuary on 29.6.2012. According to confession of a poacher who was arrested with tiger skin, a tiger was hunted down in the sanctuary during May 2013 period. Subsequently, a probe was ordered and 17 suspected poachers were chargesheeted in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Umred, informed the minister.

Irregularities in transfers:
Congress member Vijay Wadettiwar raised the issue of irregularities in transfers of Rangers and Forest Guards in Nagpur Forest Department.

The Forest Minister Mungantiwar replied that in the 2015, the Deputy Conservator of Forests had ordered transfers of 17 personnel of Rangers’ category, 20 Forest Guards and two Watchmen. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had on May 29, 2015, arrested the then Deputy Conservator of Forests Deepak Bhat for amassing disproportionate assets of Rs 19,25,000. The Nagpur ACB is probing the matter further. The Xerox copies of transfer orders of 5.6.15 have been handed over to ACB as per their demand. According to a report of 24.6.15, irregularities in transfers of four Forest employees out of 91 transfers were noticed. The then Deputy Conservator of Forests, Nagpur, was suspended on 2.6.15. The transfers ordered by the suspended official were subsequently stayed, informed Mungantiwar.