While sources in Environment Ministry have expressed doubts on the feasibility of such drastic orders at the grass-roots level, some experts feel that the move would definitely keep the poachers at bay.

Comparing the implications of such orders to Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Assam, well-placed sources in the Environment Ministry pointed out that KNP was a rare case in the country where forest department enjoyed immunity against prosecution for use of firearms, at par with police and paramilitary forces.

But here too, arms were used in cases of encounters and it was not simply “shoot at sight”, reminded the sources. Further, the forest department was made to undergo special training programmes for such situations. The sources added that legal implications of the order would need to be examined before assessing its efficacy.

Sources in the Ministry further pointed out that the ground-level situation in Vidharba forest region was also sensitive with villages located in the core unlike Kaziranga. Tadoba for instance where a recent case of poaching had occurred had nearly four villages in the core. With the implementation of such orders local community may be put to risk.

Kishore Rithe, member, National Board for Wildlife, argued that such a directive is the need of the hour to keep the poachers at bay. “I welcome this decision and people should not simply criticise it saying that the orders will be misused. These kind of actions only can ensure complete security to critical core areas of Tiger Reserve,” Rithe said.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) of Government of India is working with the States to ensure all core area of Tiger Reserves to be made inviolate (human habitation free). “If being the case, these areas will be more vulnerable for poaching. If forest officials find somebody in these core forest areas, they will be poachers only with intention to poach. And if the forest officials fire upon them, the poachers need no sympathy,” Rithe said.

“The tiger poachers are mostly outsiders and not the local villagers. Even the local people in Maharashtra would welcome the shoot-at-sight order as they have been getting a bad name due to these outside poachers. These powers and execution of them on a few occasions would prove very deterrent,” Rithe said.

But he reiterated his demand for setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), under the chairmanship of State chief secretary, to check poaching of tigers and other wild animals in the forests of Vidarbha region.

Tiger expert Belinda Wright from Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said if the order was well publicised it would certainly make the poachers think twice about operating in a particular area. “At the same time is important to remember that forest guards very rarely actually see any poachers. They only occasionally find evidence of their ghastly deeds. Hence, the State Government must ensure that tiger habitats are diligently patrolled and that the tigers are monitored,” she said.

She added that the Special Tiger Protection Force that was announced in Parliament in February 2008 with a special grant of Rs 50 crores, should be swiftly put into place. Forest Departments need to collaborate closely with skilled police officers and experienced non-Government individuals so that there was intelligence-led enforcement.

Chief Wildlife Warden SWH Naqvi when questioned on the implications of the order maintained that he was yet to get a copy of it and hence could not throw light on the issue.

The orders issued by State Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam on Tuesday are to be implemented in the three tiger reserves of Tadoba, Pench and Melghat besides the proposed reserve at Navegaon-Nagzira besides two tiger bearing areas at Bor and Umarkher. There have been four recent incidents of tiger poaching in the area while armed poachers were seen near Melghat.

Kadam has also announced that the State Government was forming a team of 70-member armed forest guards to keep a vigil on the poachers moving in and around TAFR, while another 90-member team of armed forest guards was being set up to patrol areas around Pench forest reserve.

The reserves and areas around have become most sought-after places for the professional poachers from Bahelia community from Madhya Pradesh. According to intelligence sources, members have reportedly taken an advance of Rs 40 lakh to kill 25 tigers and supply their parts like head, bones, nail and hair to the buyers in China and some south-east Asian countries