SC panel: Bar pvt vehicles in Sariska reserve, raise tiger protection force
- Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court has recommended a ban on entry of private vehicles by March 2025, to protect tigers and their habitats in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR)
Highlights:
- The STR sees heavy traffic of unregulated vehicles as a large number of devotees visit the numerous temples inside the reserve, including the famous Pandupol temple that is located 22 km inside the core area.
- The CEC has recommended using electric shuttle buses in lieu of ban on private vehicles
- Other options of transportation such as tramway, elevated road, motorable twin tunnel or ropeway could be considered based on feasibility studies.
- Unhindered movement of vehicles, impact of villages inside the reserve as well as encroachments by hotels and resorts are some of the issues under examination.
- According to the CEC report, 75,353 private vehicles with pilgrims plied inside the STR in 2023-24, of which 35,483 were cars; 34,406 were two-wheelers and 464 were buses.
- The CEC report also detailed the impact on tiger conservation, breeding and their habitats.
- The increase in human presence has resulted in habitat degradation, pollution, encroachment and fragmentation, further exacerbating the challenges faced by the wildlife populations, the report said.
- It underlined that the number of pilgrims going from Sariska gate is much more than Tehla gate.
- The CEC recommended the creation of a Special Tiger Protection Force in the STR.
- Given the increasing number of tigers in STR and villages present in and around the tiger reserve, the chances of man-animal conflict and poaching remain high.
- Hence, it is very important ro raise and deploy the Special Tiger Protection Force in Sariska Tiger Reserve
Prelims Takeaway
- Sariska Tiger Reserve