Four men and a beast

8226; What is the tiger population outside PT reserves? How does PT account for this number? What about their protection?

RG: Almost more than half the country8217;s tiger population lives in non-reserve forest areas, that is, protected areas and forest divisions. Protection is an important in-built component in their management plan/working plan. Estimations are conducted in these areas too, during the all-India census.

PKS: If there are 3,600 tigers, more than 60 per cent live outside Project Tiger areas. Except for very good parks like Kaziranga, tiger estimation is not conducted anywhere.

8226; Some PTRs are apparently not under management control. Which are these? Is there any plan to denotify them? Forest authorities allegedly can8217;t enter PTRs like Manas, Indravati, Palamau, Nagarjunsagar etc. How is the tiger population assessed in these places?

RG: All tiger reserves are under PT control. We do have problems in four reserves, because of the situations in their home states. Our field staff live in the reserves mentioned, and gather information relating to tiger presence.

PKS: GoI guidelines say tigers are to be enumerated once in four years, and once in two years in PT areas. But consider Manas. The PT area is over 2,500 sq km. Only 500 sq km is within the field director8217;s jurisdiction, the rest is under the territorial division, where no forest survives. Now do these 65 tigers survive in Manas within 500 sq km or 2,500 sq km? Has the PT director even talked to the conservator of the periphery forests or the field director on how estimations are conducted in someone else8217;s jurisdiction? Who counts tigers in Palamau, Indravati, Nagarjunsagar? PT claims that all their areas are under control. Documents will prove that directorate funding to different reserves is falling annually.

8226; How does PT distribute funds among different reserves8212;particularly those not under proper management8212;and states? Some claim PT is biased towards certain states like Madhya Pradesh.

RG: PT provides funds based on the annual plan of operations of tiger reserves received from states. I am not biased towards any state.

PKS: Release and utilisation figures for the last five years should be made public. In the last three years, PTRs have been categorised into three. If this charge is not correct, then why isn8217;t funding transparent?

How far has PT pushed state governments into ensuring full utilisation of Central funds or logistical or staff problems?

RG: Barring a few states where there are delays, most release the Central funds. The directorate, as well as higher levels in the ministry, help states redress their problems.

VT: States get away with anything. Even PT is helpless before their indifference. The entire system needs to be shaken up.

PKS: Most state chief secretaries agree that wildlife management is a problem. The secretary, Environment 038; Forests, even filed an affidavit two years ago saying that everything is in disarray in wildlife management, be it fund release, vacancies, anti-poaching mechanisms, postings and transfers etc. Does the PT directorate mean to say that the situation has improved since then?

8226; When NGOs are denied access to certain reserves, it seems the authorities have something to hide. Why can8217;t forest management be more transparent?

RG: No NGO is denied access to any reserve. Our website would indicate our transparency.

Fateh Singh Rathore: We were blacklisted for raising a few questions. If we say some tigers are missing and the department should account for them, we are promptly barred from entering the park on some pretext or the other. They cooked up charges against me to keep my mouth shut. They are scared we will call their bluff.

8226; How does the PT Directorate rate the role of 300-odd NGOs in tiger conservation?

RG: I am trying my level best to gather information on their so-called good work. So far as I know, very few NGOs in India have done anything creditable in this regard. No one can compare with the massive initiatives of the government. Unfortunately, most NGOs adopt an anti-system posture in their struggle to gain credibility. NGOs can play a positive role by complementing the PT efforts.

FSR: Absurd. It will be too long a list if I start telling you all that NGOs have done. NGOs don8217;t have as much funds as the government. But they are far more sincere. Instead of acknowledging that, officials want to stop us from doing our bit.

8226; How does PT assess the current status of wildlife tourism and the problems it poses for the tiger?

RG: We have issued guidelines for regulating tourism within the reserves.

PKS: The directorate does know that wildlife or any type of tourism is not within the purview of Environment 038; Forests Ministry. The so-called guidelines issued by the PT Directorate to all tiger reserves after the Bandhavgarh accident have been junked.

VT: Of course, excess tourists and mismanaged tourism is bad. But tourists don8217;t kill tigers, poachers do.

8226; The PT director admitted in the media last week that the Rajasthan government had flouted GoI guidelines. On his instruction, intensive searches are underway at Sariska. Even if they find stray tigers, it won8217;t dilute the tragedy. The search team has reportedly found some wildlife parts in the park.

RG: I have not made any such statement. We have only reiterated our earlier directives for strict compliance. The field team has found evidence and the final report is awaited. It is too premature to link seizures with the spatial use pattern shown by animals.

VT: There is little doubt what happened in Sariska. Now we must not repeat it. But people are not ready to learn even the hard way.

PKS: Directives have been issued by the directorate but never to be followed.

8226; Some park officials claim Sariska tigers have moved to Jamua-Ramgarh. Amidst human intervention and marble mining, can tigers survive in Jamua-Ramgarh?

RG: There are several forest areas around Sariska, apart from Jamua-Ramgarh, where tigers can survive.

VT: Way back in May 1982, Jamua-Ramgarh was notified that all forest land was reserved forest, yet both state and Centre, in total violation of the law, continue to renew mining leases. If tigers couldn8217;t survive in Sariska, how can they survive outside?

PKS: The director has no knowledge what is there around Sariska. There is a Supreme Court directive on Sariska and its surroundings. Alongwith the Rajasthan government, the Ministry of Environment 038; Forests was pulled up for not taking action in around Sariska, Jamua-Ramgarh etc. Has any tiger been reported having any home range in these areas in the last 10 years?

8226; The Sariska tragedy is evidence that PT has no alarm mechanism in place and is too dependent on the state machinery. Do you have any plan to pre-empt such crisis in future? For example, can you guarantee Ranthambhore won8217;t become another Sariska?

RG: I am in touch with all my field colleagues on a day-to-day basis. We have already linked some reserves in the ARC Information Management System platform with the PT Directorate. Of course, we have to depend on states, because wildlife management is a state subject. As far as Ranthambore or any other reserve is concerned, we are monitoring the implementation.

PKS: Telephonic touch does not protect tigers. The basic issues are not raised by the PT director. Who was he talking to in Sariska, when field directors changed twice in the past six months? Till January 31, the present field director was not available in his HQ for nearly two months. GoI requires all field director postings to be approved. How many have such postings has the Ministry of Environment 038; Forests approved in the last two years?