CM skirts question on 2008 tiger crisis in Panna reserve

BHOPAL: For the first time in six years since Panna tiger reserve (PTR) lost 30 tigers, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan parried a question on action against officials responsible for the 2008 crisis.
With the birth of three cubs recently, tiger population rose to 26 in PTR after a successful reintroduction programme.
After spending the day in serene surroundings of PTR and sighting 6 tigers during his stay with family, Chouhan said, “Both me and tigers were happy.Both know we won’t harm each other.”
But when a reporter asked that two separate reports from Centre and state had cited poaching for the 2008 tiger crisis, but action was pending against guilty forest officers, Chouhan ducked the question.
“Ab toh park abaad hai, karyawahi apne sthaan pe hai”(Now the park is full of tigers, action is at its place,” he said.
Chouhan who reached Panna around 4.30 pm on Monday left the park at the same time on Tuesday. He stayed in Bargadi, core area of the park. However, RS Murthy, park director said, “it is a tourist area and there was no violation”.
Panna lost its entire tiger population when the last male tiger of the reserve was seen in December 2008.
The special investigation team headed by P K Sen committee of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) submitted its report in 2009.
The panel attributed poaching for the crisis.
On the basis of this report, NTCA advised Madhya Pradesh in September 2009 to initiate CBI Inquiry. A separate committee of Madhya Pradesh government also said poaching was the reason behindthe vanishing tigers.