The war of words between the state and central agencies over the rapid decline in tigers is gaining in decibel level. Reacting to the concerns of the Central Empowered Committee, constituted by the Supreme Court, over the dwindling number of tigers in the Panna sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, the state government has contested the claims questioning the ‘‘unsubstantiated remarks’’ and ‘‘individual observations’’ made by the committee. Forest officials here have objected to the parallel being drawn between Sariska and Panna. ‘‘To compare Panna and Sariska is unwarranted and unduly alarmist,’’ says Principal Forest Secretary Avani Vaish, who has shot off a reply to the member secretary of the committee, M.K. Jiwarajika. The state government’s reply hits out at a researcher whose report had indicated that about 30-odd tigers might have gone missing or dead in the last two-and-a-half years in Panna. ‘‘The sentiment is, unfortunately, almost directly quoted from the report of the disgruntled researcher who bears a personal grudge against the park management,’’ said the reply. Vaish said the CECs remark, based on a two-day visit to the park, that the sighting of tigers continues to be difficult and the tiger population in 2005 appears to have crashed probably due to poaching was not backed by any evidence. ‘‘We have carried out census in January and again in March. We are getting a number of 34 tigers on the basis of the traditional methods of counting which has been in practice since several years,’’ Vaish told Express. ‘‘It is demoralizing for the staff who have been putting in extra effort, despite constraints, to keep poachers at bay,’’ Vaish said. In his reply, Vaish has further stated that the Chief Wildlife Warden has requested another evaluation of the tiger population in Panna by the Wildlife Institute of India. ‘‘We have nothing to hide. Let the WII evaluate it. We are open to any survey. Let even journalists themselves visit the park,’’ Vaish said.
