HYDERABAD: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court seeking direction to the Telangana government to formulate modalities and initiate measures to protect the tiger population in the Kawal Tiger Reserve in Adilabad district which are on the verge of extinction.

Diya Sur, a wildlife conservationist from Hyderabad, in her petition, assailed the inaction of the authorities concerned for not adhering to implement the tiger conservation plan as approved by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, New Delhi. 

The inaction has resulted in the death or disappearance of about 20 tigers which entered Telangana from neighbouring Maharashtra. 

She referred to the recent incident in the reserve forest where a tiger was killed on Jan 23 due to fencing the habitat of the tigers by live electric wires. Lack of proper supervision of the forest officials in the Kawal Tiger Reserve is helping the poachers to intrude into the forest area and kill the tigers for its skin which is in huge demand. 

Besides, illegal sand mining and timber smuggling are the other reasons for destruction of tiger habitat in Kawal Reserve, she said.