Two Reserved Forest Areas in Maharashtra to Be Declared Wildlife Sanctuaries; Approval Granted for 14 Conservation Reserves

26 Oct 2026, 04:22 PM 3 min read

Two Reserved Forest Areas in Maharashtra to Be Declared Wildlife Sanctuaries; Approval Granted for 14 Conservation Reserves left Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to examine 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 PTI PTI - **EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this image posted on Oct. 22, 2026, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis virtually inaugurates three new flyovers under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in Mumbai. (@CMOMaharashtra/X via PTI Photo)(PTI10_22_2026_000244B) The Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli district, known for its population of wild buffaloes, has been approved for declaration as a wildlife sanctuary Mumbai 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 chairing the 26th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife. In addition, proposals for 14 conservation reserves in Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Nandurbar, Thane, Palghar and Chandrapur districts were approved. Devendra Fadnavis: The man behind the surge storyline 1 The State Board for Wildlife on Monday (October 26) approved the proposal to declare the Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli district, known for its population of wild buffaloes, as a wildlife sanctuary.

Approval was also granted to declare the newly expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, adjoining the existing Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, as a wildlife sanctuary. Also Read: Third long march in Maharashtra highlights forest rights act lapses To make Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary free of human habitation, the Board approved the 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 kilometres in Koka Wildlife Sanctuary and 255.79 square kilometres in Jayakwadi Bird Wildlife Sanctuary as critical wildlife habitats. Conservation reserves It approved proposals for 14 conservation 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 such as dam repairs, rehabilitation and desilting within wildlife sanctuaries should be incorporated into the respective sanctuary management plans. “Necessary amendments to these plans should be made within three months by preparing standard operating procedures consistent with the applicable rules. Instead of obtaining separate approvals on every occasion for such works, a system should be established under which the concerned wildlife officials are informed in advance,” he said.

Proposals concerning various infrastructure 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 optical fibre cables, electricity lines and other infrastructure projects. The meeting also discussed proposals to notify the core, buffer and notified eco-sensitive areas of the state’s six tiger reserves as silence zones; to declare human-wildlife conflict a natural disaster; and to formulate a policy for the rehabilitation of villages in buffer zones of tiger reserves whose residents are willing to relocate.

The Chief Minister directed that further action be taken after examining the coordination between the responsibilities of District Collectors under the Disaster Management Act, the existing compensation mechanism and the powers of the Forest Department.