Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh deferred signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rajasthan over the proposed Cheetah Corridor project at the eleventh hour, leaving the Rajasthan Forest officers surprised.

Without citing any reasons for the volte-face, Madhya Pradesh forest officers assure the MoU will be signed at a later date. 

Mentioned in the Cheetah Project, the Cheetah Corridor is to be developed between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as the Kuno National Park cheetahs move towards Rajasthan. As recently as 10 days ago, female Cheetah Jwala had strayed up to a village of Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan and was brought back to Kuno after tranquilisation. 

Once the Cheetah Corridor is developed between the states, the cheetah prey base would increase, and the animal would get an additional security layer.  

Explaining how the delay has set back a lot of work, Rajasthan’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Chief Wild Life Warden Shikha Mehra said to the Free Press, “We got the MoU approved by our government. They (Madhya Pradesh forest officers) also got it approved by their government and gave us the draft MoU.

Had the MoU been inked, studies could have started, the Wildlife Institute of India could have got involved, and we could have begun work on developing the cheetah grassland.”  

She added that the Rajasthan Forest Department had proposed the matter in a state board meeting on June 23, but two days before the signing, Madhya Pradesh informed that it would take a call later.

Refusing to give a reason why the state has shied away, a senior forest officer of Madhya Pradesh, on the condition of anonymity, assured that the MoU would be signed at a later date.