BHOPAL: In a major conservation red flag, 24 out of Madhya Pradesh’s 26 wildlife sanctuaries continue to remain without final notification, despite several having been declared protected areas over four decades ago.According to a complaint submitted to the chief secretary citing official forest department records, it has been alleged that a vast majority of the state’s sanctuaries remain trapped in an “initial notification limbo” under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, exposing critical habitats to legal uncertainty and undermining conservation safeguards, including implementation of Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs).Citing records from the office of the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), the complaint and wildlife activist Ajay Dubey claims ecologically important sanctuaries such as Ratapani and Singhori – initially notified in 1976, still await final notification. Similar pendency exists in Ghatigaon, Ken Gharial (1981), and National Chambal Sanctuary (1982), with official records allegedly continuing to show no final notification.The complaint describes the delay as a result of decades-long inaction in settlement of land and community rights by district administrations. Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, district collectors function as forest settlement officers and must complete inquiries into existing rights before the state govt can issue final notification under Section 26A.Even when final notification was eventually issued, the delays were extraordinary, the complaint said, citing Kheoni sanctuary, which reportedly received final notification only in 2006, nearly 24 years after its initial declaration in 1982.The representation further links the prolonged legal limbo to ecological risks on the ground. Referring to an official communication from the office of the field director, Satpura tiger reserve, it alleges untreated sewage and solid waste from the Pachmarhi Cantonment Board area are being discharged into the Wainganga stream, which flows through the Pachmarhi sanctuary.The complainant warned that contamination of natural water bodies inside protected habitats could expose wildlife, including tigers, to disease risks and pointed to the 2018 epidemic in Gir National Park, where over 20 Asiatic lions died in a short period. No immediate response was available from the state govt.
