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Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Protests against Sariska boundary changes reach New Delhi
Jaipur: Public protests against the redrawing of Sariska Tiger Reserve's boundaries Monday reached New Delhi, where several environmentalists gathered at Jantar Mantar to demand immediate revocation of the approval granted by National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). They also called for greater transparency in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), mandatory public hearings on all mining proposals, and formal recognition of community participation in decisions related to protected areas. A joint declaration—endorsed by thousands through both online and offline petitions—is set to be submitted to the Union ministry of environment as well as to the Supreme Court. NBWL recently approved a proposal to alter boundaries of Sariska Tiger Reserve. The plan entails exclusion of 48.39 sq km of hilly, human-impacted forest from the existing Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH), and inclusion of 90.91 sq km from the surrounding buffer zone as compensation. Notably, many of the mines likely to benefit from this realignment are located in villages such as Khoh, Palpur, Tilwad, Gordhanpura, Mallana, Doondpuri, Jaisinghpura, and Kalwar—all within a 1-km radius of the current CTH, where mining was long prohibited. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Do You Remember Her? Take A Deep Breath Before Looking At Her Now. Fab Pop Undo The removal of forest land from the CTH and the inclusion of buffer areas are being viewed as potentially detrimental to tiger movement and the broader ecosystem. Participants in the protest included environmentalists, students, and concerned citizens from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan. They carried banners and submitted a joint representation addressed to the Chief Justice of India and the Union environment minister. Akhil Chandra, former director of World Wildlife Fund, remarked, "This decision threatens decades of conservation efforts in Sariska, where tigers were reintroduced after their local extinction in 2004. The proposed changes could open the door to mining in ecologically sensitive zones and disrupt crucial tiger habitats and corridors." An animal rights activist also criticised the move, calling it a direct assault on public interest and established environmental safeguards. Citizens from Alwar, where Sariska is located, voiced their concerns regarding the widespread ecological damage already caused by rampant mining in the Aravalli hills. Sneha Solanki of Tiger Trails Trust in Alwar cited the 2018 findings of the Central Empowered Committee, stating, "Thirty-one hills have vanished due to unregulated mining. The proposed boundary change would effectively legitimise illegal mining and undermine the nation's conservation credibility."
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Environmentalists protest proposal to redraw boundaries of Sariska tiger reserve
Last Updated: New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) A group of environmentalists gathered at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Monday, demanding the cancellation of a proposal to redraw the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Alwar district, alleging that the move would open over 50 mines that were shut following a Supreme Court order in May 2024. Akhil Chandra, former director of the World Wildlife Fund, who participated in the protest, said the National Board for Wildlife and the National Tiger Conservation Authority have approved the redrawing of Sariska's critical tiger habitat boundaries, paving the way for reopening mining operations within 1 km of the reserve's border. 'This is an untouched forest area for tigers and other endangered species. Allowing mining in such an environmentally sensitive area will have severe long-term impacts on its flora and fauna," he claimed. Environmental activist Ajay Joe claimed, 'This decision is not only anti-wildlife, it is anti-people and against the collective future of our children. How can we allow extractive industries to destroy one of the last critical habitats of India's national animal?" Sneha Solanki of Tiger Trust Trail said the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee revealed in 2018 that 31 hills had disappeared in Alwar since the Survey of India's 1967 topographic sheet. 'Redrawing Sariska's boundaries is unacceptable to the people of Alwar as it rewards violators. This sets a dangerous precedent to legalise similar violations across India's protected areas," she said. At a meeting in June, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife, headed by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, approved the proposal to alter the boundaries of the Sariska tiger reserve by expanding the CTH area from 881.11 sq km to 924.49 sq km while reducing the buffer zone from 245.72 sq km to 203.20 sq km. The total notified area has marginally increased to 1,127.68 sq km from 1,126.83 sq km. The proposal was earlier recommended by the Chief Wildlife Warden, the State Board for Wildlife, the Rajasthan government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The CEC in a report to the Supreme Court recently explained that the reconfiguration was based on 'the pattern of tiger breeding while ensuring that the total area of CTH after rationalisation does not decrease, rather the area of the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary should be increased". It said that the boundaries of the sanctuary are proposed to become coterminous with the core tiger habitat to address legal and management challenges that have persisted for years. The CEC observed that the rationalisation was carried out using robust scientific data, including camera-trap evidence, and that it enhanced landscape connectivity and conservation value without displacing any villages. 'The inclusion and exclusion of areas were based entirely on ecological rationale, with a singular focus on enhancing habitat integrity and conservation value," the report said. PTI GVS HIG HIG view comments First Published: August 04, 2025, 19:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
