Tadoba officer claims political pressure, threats in handling management safari quota

Chandrapur: A senior forest officer at the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur has alleged that the reserve staff is facing political pressure, threats and abuse in handling of the management quota safari system.In a written complaint to senior authorities, divisional forest officer Sachin Shinde accused Mahesh Premalwar, personal assistant to Chimur MLA Bunty alias Kirtikumar Bhangdiya, of verbally abusing and threatened him on a call made to a female employee at the Tadoba Tourism Information Centre on May 7. Shinde stated that the incident has not only undermined his morale but also highlighted the "growing risks" faced by officials and staff managing safari bookings under the management quota.CCF and field director Prabhu Nath Shukla acknowledged receipt of the complaint, stating the matter is being looked into with earnestly.As per Shinde's complaint, submitted along with an audio recording of the phone call, employees are routinely subjected to intimidation, harassment and false allegations by politically-connected individuals, "particularly PAs of many MLAs seeking large-scale or preferential safari bookings". Shinde warned that such unlawful demands compromise the integrity of wildlife tourism management.Shinde urged the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve administration to initiate legal action against Premalwar and formally notify MLA Bhangdiya regarding the alleged misconduct. Shinde also requested the field director to relive him from management quota safari responsibilities in light of the incident.The officer further called for urgent reforms to the management quota framework, recommending that safari booking access be limited strictly to legitimate tourists. Countering the allegations, Premalwar claimed that as per the MLA's instructions, a recommendation letter was sent to Shinde for safari bookings under the management quota. "Shinde did not respond. Instead, a woman employee called me for a meeting. I failed to understand the purpose behind such meeting. It's my duty to follow the MLA's instructions, while it is the responsibility of officials to respond to public representatives. The allegations levelled against me are completely false," he said.