Alipurduar, Sept. 28 -- With preparations underway to bring a Royal Bengal Tiger from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve to Buxa, the Forest Department has announced a four-day closure of the reserve from September 30 to October 3. A special notification has been issued, barring tourists from entering the forest during the period.
Tourist entry will be prohibited beyond the Rajabhatkhawa checkpost, while jeep safaris on all forest routes will remain suspended. The closure is part of heightened security arrangements ahead of the planned tiger reintroduction.
Forest personnel, expert teams and surveillance units are being deployed, while other necessary security measures are being put in place. Awareness programmes on tiger conservation have also begun in nearby communities.
Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon said October 2 would mark more than the release of a tiger into Buxa. "It will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the coexistence of Buxa's forests, wildlife and local communities. But the first condition for that chapter is clear - Buxa's forests must be kept ready for the tiger and human interference with its natural movement must be reduced as much as possible," he said.
Meanwhile, improved weather conditions in Bihar on Monday raised hopes of a breakthrough in the operation to capture the tiger at Valmiki Tiger Reserve. However, the animal had not been located till the latest reports. Tiger experts and forest officials from West Bengal stationed in Bihar have set a final 72-hour window to capture it.
If required, the tiger may be flown from Gorakhpur airport, around 125 km from Valmiki, to the Air Force airfield at Hasimara before being transported by road to Buxa.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Union Environment and Forest Minister Bhupendra Yadav are expected to attend the October 2 programme. The main event will be held at Alipurduar Parade Ground.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.