Forest dept RTI reply accepts presence of hotels, schools within 500m of RNP

Times of India: Jaipur: Wednesday, 15 July 2015.

Wildlife lovers, who claim that T-24 was shifted from Ranthambore National Park following pressure from the hotel lobby and demanding that it be brought back from captivity in Sajjangarh biological park, have now dug out a RTI reply from 2011 from the forest department. In response to the RTI, the forest department had acknowledged that there were 38 hotels, small and big, along with private schools within the 500-metre of the Ranthambhore National Park (RNP), in violation to the Supreme Court (SC) ruling.

According to the RTI reply, among the prominent properties within the 500-metre periphery of the national park were, Aman Khas, Sher Bagh, Khem Vilas, Nahargarh, Oberoi Vanya Vilas and the Fateh Public School, which were all running in violation to the SC order.

"So, if shifting of T-24 from Ranthambhore to Sajjangarh Biological Park cast aspersions on the hotel lobby being behind the autocratic decision of shifting the tiger, they were not entirely wrong. The lobby, all of them prominent ones, control tiger tourism in the national park," said Rupesh Kant Vyas, former media-in-charge Rajasthan State Congress and a wildlife enthusiast.

Besides, post SC ban on tiger tourism, while the ministry of environment, forest and climate change guidelines allowed community-based tourism in 10-20% of core tiger habitats, but said permanent structures in core areas should be completely removed. The state's guidelines, however, specify that no new tourist facility be established in protected areas and that existing tourist facilities will continue to operate. All of these fall within the 500-metre limit of eco-sensitive zone of the RNP the only tiger reserve to have such a zone, with no buffer area to absorb the shock of the core. The guidelines were also silent on imposing conservation cess on tourist facilities, which the Centre had imposed.

"While the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) appraisal team, post translocation of T-24 suggested the forest department to control human presence inside the core area of the tiger reserve, why these hotels are still allowed to function? Despite several reminders why is the NTCA not responding to providing the appraisal report on translocation of T-24?" asked Vyas.

If conservation is the core concern of the forest department, insists Vyas, "Why don't they immediately get back the tiger to its natural habitat? The medical report is positive and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) says there is no point in keeping the animal in zoo and he should be released in the wild. Then, why are the forest officials mum?"

Wildlife lovers go on to reiterate that this is the best time to bring back the tiger as the park is closed for three months. "I have written to Bishan Singh Bonal, member secretary NTCA to direct the state government to immediately shift Ustad back to his family and natural habitat. Despite all these reports it would be injustice to keep him in a cage," he said.