FRANKLY FRANK: Tiger reserve is a test of Goa's political will

A tiger sighting in Chorla Ghat in the Western Ghats on July 1 has reignited calls for the protection of the big cat. It is not the first sighting, and it surely won’t be the last. But it should, and must, finally be the last time Goa hesitates in fulfilling its moral and ecological responsibility in notifying the long-pending tiger reserve.

FRANKLY FRANK: If tigers thrive, Goa tourism too will

But that's not happening soon, with the one man branded as tiger's enemy number one by environmentalists, ForestsMinister Vishwajit Rane, standing in the way of the all-important notification which will decide the fate of the Western Ghats' tiger corridor in Goa.

For years now, Rane has refused to let Goa join the ranks of states that have protected their prime tiger habitats through legal recognition. The minister has kept on branding tigers as visitors to Goa, only to be laughed at by the educated and well-informed. That statement of his branding tigers as visitors smacks of indifference and can be concluded as calculated obstruction to the notification.

For years now, Rane has refused to let Goa join the ranks of states that have protected their prime tiger habitats through legal recognition.

If the minister thinks the demand for the tiger reserve in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a radical environmentalist pipe dream, then he has to take heed of the well-reasoned call backed by scientists, conservationists, forest officials, the central government, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

According to those in the know, the case for the tiger reserve stands strong in the Supreme Court, where the filing of pleadings has already been completed, and it is set to come up for hearing in the coming two months.

Whiskers in the water: Goa's secret otters

But while Goa waits, the tiger reserve is being held hostage by a lack of political will of one man. It is time Goans start asking Rane who gave him the authority to jeopardise Goa’s ecological future.

Rane's personal or political convenience cannot come in the way of protection for this majestic animal of the forest. If he considers himself the king of Sattari, the tiger is no less a monarch. The animal doesn't make speeches, but his silent presence is linked to the sustenance of forests, the rivers and the many bounties that flow downstream.

Explore the majesty of Goa's quiet flowing rivers

According to environmentalists, the Goa government is not standing in his way. The forest department itself has no objections to the tiger reserve. Most officials, in fact, support it. The only opposition comes from Rane himself, and yet that has been enough to stall the process indefinitely.

Rane’s resistance to the notification brings to the fore many troubling questions. Is this about ecology at all or control over land, influence, and unchecked exploitation? Declaring Mhadei a tiger reserve will mean buffer zones, stricter regulations, central oversight, and legal boundaries to mining and construction.

Is this about ecology at all or control over land, influence, and unchecked exploitation? Declaring Mhadei a tiger reserve will mean buffer zones, stricter regulations, central oversight, and legal boundaries to mining and construction.

These are precisely the restrictions that those with vested interests would prefer to avoid. In opposing the tiger reserve, is Rane really protecting the forest or protecting the interests of a few?

The signs are all around. Rampant tree felling in the name of farming within forest areas and illegal encroachments in biodiversity-rich belts. A village in his constituency has put up a board saying forest department officials are “not allowed” in their own jurisdiction.

The fascinating secret behind Goa's glowing forests

The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the last great corridors connecting Goa’s forests with Karnataka and Maharashtra, home to not just tigers but elephants, leopards, pangolins, sloth bears and hundreds of endemic species. It is a UNESCO World Heritage-worthy zone in waiting, and yet our leadership treats it like a disputed backyard.

By delaying protection, Goa risks losing both its natural heritage and its leverage in the water-sharing conflict with Karnataka over the Mhadei river. A notified tiger reserve strengthens Goa’s legal case; a delayed one weakens it. Rane’s actions put to risk our water lifeline and its future.

The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the last great corridors connecting Goa’s forests with Karnataka and Maharashtra, home to not just tigers but elephants, leopards, pangolins, sloth bears and hundreds of endemic species.

This is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a governance failure, a political rot, and a betrayal of public trust.

Goans must now ask: Can a minister who blocks ecological protection with impunity be trusted with the care of our forests? What does it say about Goa’s political culture that one man’s political hold can outweigh the will of scientists, officials, courts, and citizens?

This World Environment Day, discover the natural side of Goa

The time has come for accountability. Environmentalists want Vishwajit Rane to be held personally responsible for the destruction his continued obstruction of the tiger reserve notification will cause.

It appears that no forest officer can speak freely, and no conservationist can act fully. Not when the head of the department remains its biggest opposition. Enough is enough, Goa must not be made to wait till 2027 assembly elections or beyond for a tiger reserve.

Enough is enough, Goa must not be made to wait till 2027 assembly elections or beyond for a tiger reserve.

The tiger can’t vote, but we can; the forest can’t file petitions, but citizens can. If Goa is to have any ecological future, it must begin by demanding that Rane step aside, or step up and notify Mhadei as a tiger reserve.

Let this latest tiger sighting be the roar that woke up a sleeping state and its conscience. Let us live and let the wild live too!