Ministry aims to prevent Sariska-like disaster

New Delhi: In an effort to prevent a Sariska-like fiasco at Ranthambore tiger reserve in Rajasthan, the Ministry of Environment and Forests sent a letter containing nine-point suggestions to the state government.

Reports of tiger populations decreasing drastically in the reserve prompted the ministry to act swiftly.

The letter suggests the deployment of locals alongside guards to check for poaching activities.

"Homeguards do not know much of the area including the inside and outside of the reserve, which makes it impossible for them to keep a thorough check on the illegal activities. But when it comes to local people, they not only know the area, they also know the poachers and the hunters. If locals are included more intensely in the entire process of saving tigers, it will yield positive results," said a senior official of the ministry.

The letter also states that a uniform methodology is needed for relocating villages, from inside the reserve and from its peripheries.

Another problem is that the reserve is visited by thousands of devotees who who come to the Ganesh temple within its borders.

These visits lead to encounters between animals, including tigers, and humans.

The ministry's letter suggests making an inner road, specifically for this purpose so that devotees do not venture on other trails.

Another suggestion that has been listed is to rebuild in-roads for tourists so that they take only the set path, while visiting the reserve.