Supreme Court's empowered committee recommends approval to redraw Sariska Tiger Reserve and sanctuary boundaries

Indian Express

7 days ago

The Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has recommended that the apex court may approve the rationalisation of the boundaries of Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, the wildlife sanctuary and its critical tiger habitat (CTH). The recommendation to approve boundary rationalisation was made in an interim report in a suo motu matter examining multiple issues related to Sariska.
The boundary rationalisation has been recommended for approval, despite concerns that it may aid mining operations. The southern part of the tiger reserve, in the Tehla range, is rich in marble and dolomite deposits.
'The CEC recommends that this Hon'ble Court may kindly approve the rationalised CTH, as approved by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SCNBWL),' the CEC report said.
With respect to the boundaries of the Sariska wildlife sanctuary, it recommended that the Rajasthan government be permitted to proceed with the changes in reserve forest area of the sanctuary, covering 924 sq km. The revised sanctuary area may be notified under Section 26A(1)(b) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, subject to the recommendations of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, the CEC submitted.
Following the alteration in the tiger reserve's boundaries, the critical tiger habitat will increase from 881.11 sq km to 924.49 sq km, and the buffer area will decrease from 245.72 sq km to 203.2 sq km, the CEC said.
A critical tiger habitat is an area within a tiger reserve that is to be kept free of human activity and presence to aid tiger conservation and tiger breeding, as per the Wildlife Protection Act.
The CEC also recommended to the Supreme Court that the Rajasthan government and the Centre should be allowed a maximum period of six months to complete the process of notifying Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary's eco-sensitive zone. This, it said, will ensure proper adjudication on several mining matters.
The rationalisation of the CTH in Sariska Reserve, the CEC noted, was conducted with scientific precision, guided by robust data on tiger occupancy (including camera-trap evidence), ecological connectivity, and forest quality. 'The exercise ensured that there is no fragmentation or reduction in core or buffer areas. Instead, ecologically degraded and human-impacted lands were excluded, while dense, contiguous, and uninhabited forest patches supporting tiger presence were included,' the CEC interim report stated.
The CEC interim report also noted observations and made submissions on the issue of vehicular movement for temple tourism to the popular Pandupol Hanuman temple, and cooking that happens inside temple premises. Sariska is home to the popular Pandupole Hanuman temple, which attracts thousands of visitors and also sees cooking activities.
'The CEC is of the view that this Hon'ble Court may kindly allow the State Government to explore the option of CNG buses, along with electric buses, to address operational challenges while ensuring environmental and economic viability,' the CEC stated in its interim report.
On cooking inside temple premises, the report stated that the committee held a discussion with the temple priest, during which, it was mutually agreed to install rooftop solar panels, use LPG to eliminate wood fuel, and introduce electric vans to ferry temple staff.
Last year, it proposed a ban on the entry of private vehicles. In a report last year, the CEC said that 75,353 private vehicles with pilgrims plied inside Sariska reserve in 2023-24, of which 35,483 were cars; 34,406 were two-wheelers, and 464 were buses.
Before the Rajasthan State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) meeting, The Indian Express reported last month that if approved, the boundary rationalisation could aid operations of over 50 marble and dolomite mines that were closed following a Supreme Court order last year.
These mines were closed as they fell within a 1 km radius of the CTH, which is a protected area.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change.
Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More