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Journalism of Courage
Alarm bells are ringing in India8217;s showpiece tiger reserve, the Ranthambhore National Park, and the man ringing them is the one in charge Deputy Field Director Raghuveer Singh Sekhawat.
With the three-day carnivore census indicating a figure even lower than last year8217;s 8220;corrected estimate8221; of 26, Sekhawat8217;s call couldn8217;t be clearer: 8220;The Centre, the state and non-state agencies must come together immediately or we will lose everything here in the next few years.8221;
8220;Even that number was highly optimistic. Everybody here knows we don8217;t have more than 15 tigers,8221; says a staff member. He isn8217;t the only one. In fact, there is a rare consensus among forest staff, guides and senior officials. Says one of them: 8220;We know for sure we have at least 15. Maybe a few more. But don8217;t quote me before the official figure is announced.8221;
DFO Sekhawat who took charge after DFO G S Bhardwaj was shown the door last November following an Express report on poaching in Ranthambhore, refuses to be dragged into giving a number but on the future of the tiger here, he minces few words.
8220;The actual forest cover is shrinking every day with rampant grazing and associated pressure. With so many people entering the forest everyday, our existing protection level can8217;t warranty safety from poachers. Recently, we found a foot-trap chain. Unless a few quick decisions are taken and we act at the highest level, it won8217;t be long before Ranthambhore and its tigers disappear,8221; he told The Sunday Express.
Top priority, he says, are:
8226; A 50-km boundary wall. Cost: Rs 15 crore. 8220;It will stop thousands of cattle that enter the park for grazing.8221;
8226; Staff, more staff. Including existing vacancies, 238 more are needed. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje recently promised to end the recruitment ban and assured 400 new personnel for the forest department. Sekhawat8217;s immediate requirement is about 150. 8220;Our staff are old. The homeguards are no better. We need strong young men here,8221; says Sekhawat.
8226; Relocation of four villages and the remaining 59 families of a fifth and 150 Moghiya tribal hunters families from the park
8226; Development schemes in 96 surrounding villages to take pressure off the park. Earlier, a Rs 33-crore World Bank scheme failed as fund flow stopped because the government was able to spend only Rs 13.2 crore of the Rs 21.6 crore that came in.
8226; Upgrade amenities for ground staff on par with police force. For years, project allowance has been stuck at Rs 350 a month.
8220;We know we can8217;t do all these overnight. But we must start, we must send a message,8221; says Sekhawat.
