Dikhyaa Mohanty 
In accordance with Section 35(4) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Odisha government formally declared Similipal a national park on Thursday. In this respect, a notification was released by the Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Department on Thursday. With the exception of Section 24(2)(c), the state complied with Sections 19 to 26-A of the Act, making sure that every procedure was carefully followed. The state government now completely owns the land rights after all land claims within the defined region were resolved. The 845.7 square kilometer national park, which is mostly located in the Similipal south division, goes into force as soon as the notice is published in the Odisha Gazette.
The largest tiger habitat in Odisha, Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), is 2,306.61 square kilometers in size. According to central government standards, an area must be devoid of both domestic animal movement and human settlement in order to be designated as a national park. Therefore, in addition to the 1,194.75 square kilometers of STR that were previously designated as core important tiger habitat in 2007, 845.7 square kilometers of STR were nominated for national park designation. Human settlements in the core region caused the delay in the national park designation, however this issue has now been remedied. Similipal, which is well-known for its abundant biodiversity, is home to endangered animals including the Asian elephant and the Royal Bengal Tiger.
The national park status is expected to enhance protection measures, strengthening conservation efforts across the Eastern Ghats and ensuring the preservation of this ecological treasure for future generations. Similipal is the second national park in State after Bhitarkanika National Park
