New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court-mandated Central Empowered Committee has flagged serious harm to wildlife in the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, primarily due to unchecked tourism and traffic, and recommended a blanket ban on private vehicles plying to the famous Pandupol Hanuman temple in the core area.
In a report dated July 22, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) said the massive vehicular traffic inside the reserve was negatively affecting tiger breeding, with the big cats having “virtually ignored” the area south of the three roads leading to the temple.
It also recommended deploying a special tiger force in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) and prioritising issues such as staff shortages, uncontrolled cattle grazing and village relocation.
The CEC suggested that the state government could consider constructing a ropeway, an elevated road, a motorable twin tunnel, or an electric tramway to benefit both wildlife and pilgrims.
There are around 305 identified temples in STR and the heavy traffic creates problems for wildlife.
“There is a significant change in the behaviour of the animals,” the CEC, which aids the top court in environment matters, noted.
The primary issue hindering conservation is the unrestricted movement of tourist vehicles to the Pandupole temple, located 22 kilometres inside the core area of the tiger reserve.
Taking serious note of the lakhs of devotees visiting the ancient temple, the Supreme Court had in July last year set up a high-level panel to suggest an “everlasting solution”.
The high-level panel — comprising officials from Rajasthan’s forest and environment department, environment ministry, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India — had suggested that a blanket ban on the entry of private vehicles of pilgrims inside the reserve might not be an acceptable solution.
Instead, it recommended regulating the entry of private vehicles and starting electric shuttle buses.
Unsatisfied with the panel’s report, the apex court directed members of the panel and the CEC to collaborate and submit a comprehensive report within three months.
The CEC and the high-level panel members decided to enlist SP Yadav, the director general of the International Big Cat Alliance, as an additional expert.
Based on field visits conducted by CEC member Chandra Prakash Goyal and Yadav, and discussions held with STR officials and the high-level panel, it submitted a report to the Supreme Court.
The committee observed that the current traffic, including vehicles going to the Pandupole temple, exceeded the STR’s carrying capacity.
On an average, around 630 private vehicles, including 300 four-wheelers, visit the temple on Tuesdays, Saturdays and full-moon days. This number rises to around 1,800 vehicles during the annual mela in August and September when the tiger reserve is closed to tourists, according to National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines.
Around two to three lakh people visit the temple during the mela period (July-August) every year and more than 8-10 lakhs annually.
“Tigers are avoiding areas with heavy traffic throughout the year due to the high pilgrim inflow at the Pandupole temple and other visitors. Only on two occasions, August 2012 and August 2014, have cubs been born close to these (three) roads leading to the temple. In the past 10 years, no births have occurred near the roads used by pilgrims,” the CEC report noted.
“Another important feature worth noting is that the tigers have virtually ignored the area south of these roads for breeding purposes. All these observations clearly establish the adverse impact of massive vehicular traffic on the breeding of the tigers,” it read.
Vehicles are parked randomly at different places inside the forest area near the temple, and the temple’s trust prepares offerings and ‘bhandara’ in the temple area, in violation of the rules.
Apart from being a forest fire hazard, this also leads to pollution inside the pristine forest area. Visitors to the temple stop midway to bathe in nearby streams, polluting water sources that are major sources of potable water for the animals in the reserve. Wastewater from the temple complex is let out into the nearby nullah, spreading diseases among wild animals, the CEC said in its report.
During their field visits, Chandra and Yadav also noted that many hotels and resorts were operating and more were under construction in the buffer area of the tiger reserve.
According to rules, projects within a notified tiger reserve, regardless of the area involved, need prior wildlife clearance.
Nestled in the Aravalli mountain range, STR spans the Alwar and Jaipur districts and is known for its dense Dhak (Anogeissus pendula) and Khair (Acacia catechu) forests and hosts over 420 plant species. It is the last intact home of around 72 square kilometres of ‘most dense forest’ in Rajasthan.
The STR serves as the catchment area for the Ruparail river. Several streams originating from this catchment are crucial water sources for the surrounding region, including Alwar, which is represented by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in the Lok Sabha.
The reserve, which faces significant pressure from human activities, is home to a wide range of fauna, including several species listed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List such as the panther, chowsingha, and rusty-spotted cat.
The core area of STR supports diverse wildlife, including multiple cat species, dogs, mongooses, and marsh crocodiles. PTI GVS GVS SZM SZM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.