The Supreme Court on Monday ordered status quo in Goa's Mhadei-Kotigaon area which was identified by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) as a reserve for the big cats.

A bench of Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and Atul S Chandurkar asked a central empowered committee to hear stakeholders in the matter and decide the issue in six weeks.

The bench ordered no projects or development to be undertaken in the meantime.

The top court had earlier agreed to hear a plea filed by the Goa government and others challenging the Bombay High Court order to the state to notify Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas as a tiger reserve within three months.

It sought responses from the NTCA and others on the petition.

Spread over 208 square kilometer, the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the northeastern part of the state, adjoining Karnataka.

The high court's judgement came on a plea filed by NGO Goa Foundation which sought direction to the state government to notify tiger reserves of the state as requested by the NTCA.

Quoting "Mahabharata", the high court said, "If there is no forest, then the tiger gets killed; if there is no tiger, then the forest gets destroyed. Hence, the tiger protects the forest and the forest guards the tiger!" The high court had directed the state government to take necessary steps to prepare a tiger conservation plan as contemplated by the Wildlife Protection Act, and to forward the same to the NTCA within three months from notifying Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and other areas as a tiger reserve." The NTCA was, as a result, directed to give full assistance to the state government for completing the process following which it would "expeditiously process" the state's tiger conservation plan.

The high court also directed the state government to set up anti-poaching camps at strategic locations with forest guards, watchers, etc., in the wildlife sanctuary and national parks in the state.

"This exercise must be completed within six months," it added.

The high court also asked the state government and the forest department to take steps to ensure no encroachments took place in the protected forest areas such as wildlife sanctuaries and national parks pending notification of the tiger reserve and in future.

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