NEW DELHI: The Pench Tiger Reserve, a critical sanctuary for wildlife located in Madhya Pradesh, has turned into one of the most sought after investments for money launderers, who are investing their ill-gotten wealth to develop resorts, cottages and restaurants, some even at the border of the core area of the forest reserve.
These illegal investments in an area which are claimed to be highly sensitive and highly protected cannot happen without the connivance of senior officials and local representatives, including those belonging to the Indian Forest Service, the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, all of whom are expected to get updated information about such illegal activities.
However, the ease with which benami individuals
The Benami Prohibition Unit (BPU) of the Income Tax Department under the Union Ministry of Finance, has identified at least three instances in Pench Tiger Reserve in the last couple of years which are linked to benami transactions and have been developed into resorts and godowns. These developments include cottages, restaurants, and other amenities designed for tourism, all situated in areas meant to be safeguarded for wildlife.
The benami transactions related to these properties indicate a clear attempt to conceal the identity of the true owners, an illegal practice typically used to evade taxes and circumvent regulations. In this case, land has been developed under the guise of legitimate ownership, while the actual beneficiaries remain hidden behind a façade. In fact, the land transactions have involved some of the most contentious areas of the Pench Tiger Reserve, with properties located in village Kohka, village Avargani Raiyat, and village Turia, all of which are now under investigation.
In village Kohka, tehsil Kurai, district Seoni, officials found a benami land measuring a total area of 7.86 hectares, with a semi-furnished pucca godown constructed on it. This land lies within the Pench Tiger Reserve. The provisional attachment of this property was done in 2022, which was confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority in October 2023.
Another property that has been identified by officials as a result of the benami transaction is a land-cum-resort measuring a total area of 1.35 hectares, which includes 1 restaurant, 4 cottages, and 20 teak trees. This property is located in village Avargani Raiyat, tehsil Kurai, district Seoni within the Pench Tiger Reserve. In this case too, a provisional attachment order was passed in December 2022 and confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority in October 2023.
Another land-cum-resort measuring 0.63 hectares, located in village Turia, tehsil Kurai, district Seoni was found violating anti-benami transaction rules. This land was initially attached under provisional orders passed in December 2021, but the attachment was later revoked following a ruling by the Supreme Court in a case. However, the attachment order was reactivated after the Supreme Court’s judgement was recalled.
The government’s action, while important, represents only a small part of the picture. The larger issue is how such illegal land transactions and resort developments were allowed to take place in the first place.
According to locals whom The Sunday Guardian spoke to, including elected village heads, local revenue and forest officials play a pivotal role in controlling land usage in protected areas like Pench Tiger Reserve. For these resorts to have been developed, it would have required multiple levels of clearance and compliance with forest and environmental regulations. It is inconceivable that these officials were not aware of the construction happening within a protected area, suggesting that either there was negligence, corruption, or active collusion between officials and the developers.
The Sunday Guardian reached out to Pench field director, J. Devaprasad, Aseem Shrivastava, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Head of Forests, and Vivek Jain, PCCF Administration for a response on these significant developments. However, none was received till the given deadline.