Similipal officially notified as national park under Wildlife Protection Act
Bhubaneswar: The Government of Odisha has officially declared Similipal as a national park, exercising its authority under Section 35(4) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The notification formalises Similipal’s status as a national park following the completion of all legal and administrative formalities.
The state government confirmed that all procedures under Sections 19 to 26-A of the Act, excluding Section 24(2)(c), were duly carried out. All land claims within the proposed park area have been resolved, and land rights are now vested entirely with the state.
With this final notification, the area specified in the accompanying schedules will now be officially recognised as Similipal National Park, effective from the date of publication in the Odisha Gazette.
An area of 845.7 sq km, primarily in Similipal south division, was declared a national park.
Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) is the state’s biggest tiger habitat. As per the criteria of the Centre, an area to be accorded national park status must be completely inviolate and free from human habitation and movement of domestic animals. Accordingly, out of 2,306.61 sq km, an area of 845.70 sq km of Similipal was proposed as national park.
The government had already notified 1,194.75 sq km of STR as the core critical tiger habitat in 2007. However, the proposal for the national park was due to the presence of human habitations in its core.
Similipal, rich in biodiversity and home to endangered species like the Royal Bengal Tiger and Asian elephant, is expected to gain stronger protection under the new designation, aiding conservation efforts in the Eastern Ghats region.
PNN
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