LEMRU ELEPHANT RESERVE
□ ABOUT :-
◇ The proposal for the reserve, in Korba district, was passed unanimously by the Assembly in 2005 and got central approval in 2007.
◇ Lemru is one of two elephant reserves planned to prevent human-animal conflict in the region, with elephants moving into Chhattisgarh from Odisha and Jharkhand.
◇ Its area was then proposed to be 450 sq km.
□ Why does the government want to reduce the size of the reserve ?
◇ The area proposed under the reserve is part of the Hasdeo Aranya forests, a very diverse biozone that is also rich in coal deposits.
◇ Of 22 coal blocks in the area, seven have already been allotted with mines running in three, and in the process of being established in the other four.
◇ Under the ‘No-Go Area’ policy from the UPA area, the entire area was considered out of bounds for mines, but in 2020, five coal blocks from the region were put on the auction list.