Two protected forest areas in Maharashtra to be declared wildlife sanctuaries; Approval granted for 14 conservation areas

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed officials to check the compatibility of the proposed measures with the Disaster Management Act, the existing compensation system and the powers of the forest department before taking further action. File | Photo credit: PTI

Two reserved forest areas in Maharashtra will be declared as wildlife sanctuaries, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday (October 26, 2026). He was speaking after presiding over the 26th meeting of the Maharashtra State Wildlife Council. In addition, proposals for 14 protected reserves in Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Nandurbar, Thane, Palghar and Chandrapur districts have been approved.

The State Wildlife Board on Monday (October 26) approved a proposal to declare the Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli district, known for its wild buffalo population, as a nature reserve. Approval was also granted to declare the newly expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, which adjoins the existing Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, as a nature reserve.

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To make the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary free from human habitation, the council approved a proposal to include 588,767 hectares of revenue and private land from six villages – Ogda, Khodde, Tirmal, Pachghar, Phanasad and Amle – in the newly expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary.

The board also approved proposals to declare 100.139 square kilometers in Koka Wildlife Sanctuary and 255.79 square kilometers in Jayakwadi Bird Wildlife Sanctuary as critical wildlife habitats.

Protective reservations

It approved proposals for 14 protected reserves in Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Nandurbar, Thane, Palghar and Chandrapur districts. These include Velhe-Mulshi in Pune and Raigad districts; Bhor-Girigad in Pune district; Dindori, Surgana and Taharabad in Nashik district; Chinchpada in Nandurbar District; Alibag and Ghera Manikgad in Raigad District; Lonavala in Pune and Raigad districts; Gumtara in Thane district; Jawhar, Asherigad and Dhamani in Palghar district; and Ekara in Chandrapur district.

Chief Minister Fadnavis directed that routine works like dam repairs, rehabilitation and desilting in wildlife sanctuaries should be incorporated in the respective management plans of the sanctuaries. “Necessary changes to these plans should be made within three months by preparing standard operating procedures in accordance with applicable rules. Instead of obtaining separate approvals for each occasion for such works, a system should be established whereby the concerned conservation representatives are informed in advance,” he said.

Proposals regarding various infrastructural facilities in protected areas, eco-sensitive zones and tiger corridors were also approved at the meeting. These included irrigation, healthcare, water supply, bridges, roads, underground fiber optic cables, power lines and other infrastructure projects.

The meeting also discussed proposals to declare the core, buffer and notified ecologically sensitive areas of the state’s six tiger reserves as silence zones; declare human-wildlife conflict a natural disaster; and formulate a policy for the rehabilitation of villages in the buffer zones of tiger reserves whose inhabitants are willing to relocate. The chief minister directed that further steps be taken after examining the coordination between the responsibilities of the district collectors under the Disaster Management Act, the existing compensation mechanism and the powers of the forest department.

Published – 26 Oct 2026 18:25 IST