2 min readNew DelhiAug 6, 2024 06:45 AM IST
First published on: Aug 6, 2024 at 06:44 AM IST
TO PROTECT tigers and their habitats in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), Rajasthan, from adverse impacts of vehicular traffic, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court has recommended a ban on entry of private vehicles by March 2025 and the creation of a special tiger protection force.
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 and said that other options of transportation such as tramway, elevated road, motorable twin tunnel or ropeway could be considered based on feasibility studies.
The CEC’s report to the top court was submitted on July 22 in a matter which is examining various issues affecting tiger conservation in the STR. 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 tigers have virtually ignored the area south of these roads for breeding purposes,” it noted. The last occasions when tigers gave birth on these roads were in August 2012 and August 2014.
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,” its report said.
The CEC report also detailed the impact on tiger conservation, breeding and their habitats. 
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