Skip to main content

Introducing tigers in Kumbalgarh extremely risky: Researchers forewarn Rajasthan CM

By Rosamma Thomas* 
On November 8, 2016, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared on television to announce the demonetization of all Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, it was unclear on whose advice he was acting. It later became apparent that the move was a disaster, wrecking the economy, causing needless death and livelihood loss while not achieving any of the aims initially listed as the purpose of the move. The plan to introduce tigers in the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary could have similar consequences, and the state government has been forewarned.
On August 22, 2023, Meenal Tatpathy of Pune-based NGO Kalpavriksh and Hanwant Singh Rathore of the Lokhit Pashu Palak Sansthan, an NGO that has been working among pastoralists in Pali district, around the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot explaining why the plan to introduce tigers in Kumbhalgarh is doomed to failure. Local media reported that Union minister for environment, forests and climate change Bhupendra Yadav had announced on a social media platform that approval for a tiger sanctuary at Kumbhalgarh had been granted. 
Rathore and Tatpathy, in a detailed letter, note that no formal announcement of such plans were made by the state government, although reports in the media and action on the ground indicated that such plans are being implemented. They note that the last tiger in the area was shot in 1961, in the Todgarh-Raoli area. Local residents have never seen a tiger, and the region is better known for leopards, bears and wolves. The striped hyena and the almost-extinct caracal too have been sighted, and the area ought to be conserved for the sake of these species, they write.
They note that the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is unsuitable for tigers – it is a small sanctuary, only a couple of kilometres in width at certain places. The terrain is steep, and totally devoid of prey species. It is also not connected to corridors that could support the movement of tigers, which roam vast distances. To address the problem of the lack of prey base, a ‘herbivore enrichment centre’ has been set up, where deers are raised in captivity for release into the wildlife sanctuary. 
The government has also drawn up plans for evacuating villages – there are 24 villages within the boundaries of the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, and 27 inside the Todgarh-Raoli Wildlife Sanctuary. More than 250 villages in the periphery are likely to be affected too. 
Besides the Bhil, Meena and Gharasia tribal communities, the non-tribal Raika, Rajput and Meghwal communities have lived in the area for centuries, keeping livestock, engaging in agriculture, using forest produce and forging deep ties with the landscape. These communities are mobilizing too, in protest. 
On August 24, a large gathering of tribal communities held a protest in Rajsamand and submitted a petition to the district collector, seeking to protect their lands and rights. In other parts of the world, the wisdom of allowing such communities to husband natural resources is now gaining legal protection.
Tribal communities have protested in Rajsamand and submitted petition to district collector, seeking to protect their lands and rights
An expert committee under the National Tiger Conservation Authority had earlier submitted a report on the feasibility of a tiger reserve in Kumbhalgarh (that report, however, has not been made public). Tatpathy and Rathore note that the committee visited the area in September 2021, covering 260 km of the sanctuary in two days. They held on video conference with local forest officials, and one physical meeting. 
Rathore and Tatpathy note in their letter to CM Gehlot: 
“The committee also claimed to have collected ‘feedback’ from local villagers by distributing survey forms about their attitudes towards a tiger reserve. Despite these serious lacunae of limited time and no direct interaction with locals, the committee has recommended the phase-wise creation of a tiger reserve by expanding the area, relocation of villages and increasing prey base. We would like to point out that this process shows a complete lack of any scientific or objective criteria adopted by the expert committee to provide these suggestions.” 
Even though some villagers have been granted individual forest rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006, the process of granting such rights has not even commenced in several of the villages in this area. The bulk of the individual forest rights currently granted are faulty, since the title is for less land than was claimed, and no physical markers exist for land to which titles were granted. 
Unless these rights and all appeals are formally settled, relocation of villagers or restricting access to forest resources are illegal, under Section 4 of the Forest Rights Act. At least 23 villages have so far sent resolutions opposing the tiger reserve.
The tiger is the apex predator, and it is argued that conserving this species in the wild would lead to a conservation of nature in general. India is home to three quarters of the world’s tigers. It would be inordinately expensive and extremely risky to introduce these cats to regions that have not seen tigers in half a century, while chipping away at already-protected tiger reserves. It would be a pity to allow conservation strategy to be dictated by potential tourism revenue.
---
*Freelance journalist

Comments

TRENDING

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee  Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar*  Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

A groundbreaking non-violent approach: Maharishi’s invincible defense technology

By MajGen (R) Kulwant Singh, Col (R) SP Bakshi, Col (R) Jitendra Jung Karki, LtCol (R) Gunter Chassé & Dr David Leffler*  In today’s turbulent world, achieving lasting peace and ensuring national security are more urgent than ever. Traditional defense methods focus on advanced weapons, military strategies, and tactics, but a groundbreaking approach offers a new non-violent and holistic solution: Maharishi’s Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). 

EVMs: Govt must prove beyond reasonable doubt it's upholding mandate for free, fair polls

By Jerald D’souza  With the growth of India’s population, concerns about electoral fraud associated with ballot papers, also began to escalate. In 1989, the People’s Representation Act was amended to enable EVMs to prevent electoral fraud. In 1998, EVMs made their debut during legislative assembly elections and for the first time for general elections in 2004. However, criticisms against the EVMs and questions about their integrity have been raised by political parties, civil society and the general population. On 2 February 2024, there was a noteworthy demonstration of dissent where numerous individuals, including Ambedkarite advocates, legal professionals, and other members of civil society  convened at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the prohibition of EVMs. In 2024, the Supreme court had slapped down a petition to return to paper ballots on the basis that machines give “absolutely accurate results” unless human bias maligns them. The court stated that it was open to testi...

This Indian British Marxist blamed USSR's collapse in 1991 on Khrushchev's 'revisionism'

By Harsh Thakor*  Harpal Singh Brar, British Indian Marxist scholar and communist leader, has passed away in Chandigarh. He was 85. He was a lifelong supporter of socialism, Marxism, and the working class. He will be remembered among British Communists.

Chalapathi's death in encounter suggests Maoists' inability to establish broader mass support

By Harsh Thakor* The Maoist movement experienced a significant loss during the Ramagudem encounter on January 21, with the death of Chalapathi (Pratap), a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). His death, along with 15 others, marks a major setback for the movement. Reports suggest that his location was revealed to security forces through a selfie with his wife.

Why do we mostly resist and refrain from communicating on sanitation topic?

By Nikhil Kumar, Mansee Bal Bhargava* According to UN SDG Progress report (2022), at the present moment no targets for SDG 6 are expected to be met by 2030. In 2022, 2.2 billion people had no access to safe drinking water and 3.5 million lacked safe sanitation. Approximately 50% of the world’s population was reported to have been under resourced in enough water for part of the year and a quarter of that population was living under “extremely high” water stress. Add to it, droughts have affected over 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021.

Govt of India asked to work for release of 217 Indian fishermen detained in Pakistan since 2021

By A Representative  Members of the fishing communities from Gujarat and Diu, Union Territory, held a press conference in Ahmedabad, urging the Union Government to take proactive measures to secure the release of Indian fishermen currently detained in Pakistan. Presently, 217 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat and Diu, are held in Pakistan’s Malir Jail. Of these, 53 have been incarcerated since 2021 and 130 since 2022.

34 Dalit families in IIT Kanpur without toilets in Open Defecation Free India

By Sandeep Pandey   When Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur was set up in 1959, two villages were uprooted. The farmers were given meagre compensation for the standing crop. No compensation was given for the land to build this institute of national importance. Each family was promised a job but what was not told to them was that one would require specialised skills to get a job at IIT. Some members of these families were, of course, absorbed for menial work. Some washerfolk families were also invited from outside to live on campus to take care of the laundry needs of students, staff and faculty members. One of these men was cajoled by IIT authorities then to forego a regular employment at IIT and instead take up clothes washing work.

अल्पसंख्यक कार्य मंत्रालय का बजट निराशाजनक: 19.3% अल्पसंख्यकों के लिए मात्र 0.0661% ठोस आवंटन

- मुजाहिद नफ़ीस*   1-2-2025 को भारत सरकार द्वारा संसद में वर्ष 2025-26 का बजट वित्त मंत्री निर्मला सीतारमण जी ने पेश किया| इस वर्ष का बजट 5065345 करोड़ है जो कि पिछले साल के संशोधित अनुमान से लगभग 7.39% की बढ़ोतरी हुई है| वहीं अल्पसंख्यक कार्य मंत्रालय का बजट मात्र 3350.00 करोड़ है जो कि कुल बजट का 0.0661% लगभग है|  पिछले साल 2024-25 में 3183.24 करोड़ था|