Sariska Tiger Reserve boundary rationalisation plan cleared, may aid shut mines

Public Lokpal
June 24, 2025

Share by

Sariska Tiger Reserve boundary rationalisation plan cleared, may aid shut mines

Jaipur : A proposal to rationalise the boundary of Sariska Tiger Reserve's Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) has been cleared in a meeting of the Rajasthan Wildlife Board and is now set to be placed before the National Board for Wildlife, officials said on Tuesday.

The proposal, which involves modifying the CTH limits by excluding certain human-impacted hilly areas and compensating the loss with buffer zones, is likely to benefit several marble and dolomite mines that were shut following a Supreme Court order earlier this year.

"The proposal to rationalise the boundary of CTH of Sariska Tiger Reserve was moved in the Wildlife Board Meeting on Monday and was passed," Rajasthan's Head of the Forest Force (HoFF) Arijit Banerjee said.

However, he did not comment on the number of mines that would benefit from the rationalisation of the boundary.

The mines fall in and around the villages of Khoh, Palpur, Tilwad, Gordhanpura, Mallana, Doondpuri, Jaisinghpura and Kalwar.

According to the proposal, areas excluded from the CTH -- primarily hill tracts impacted by human activity --will be added to the buffer zone of the tiger reserve. These zones will not form part of the sanctuary or national park. The conversion will help foster cordial relations between the local community and tiger reserve management.

The Supreme Court order had taken suo moto cognisance regarding the issues of unrestricted entry of people on foot and private vehicles inside the tiger reserve. In 2024, it ordered the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to submit a report on the matter.

Following the CEC's report in July 2024, the Rajasthan government accepted its recommendations and the top court directed the state to complete the rationalisation exercise within a year.

The revised proposal will now be placed before the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), scheduled to meet in Dehradun on June 26.

The rationalisation of boundary is being contended by some of the forest department officials who pleading anonymity said that excluding peripheral hills would cut off the tiger reserve's internal connectivity.

They said that Sariska Tiger Reserve stands on two asymmetrical legs in the south. The finger-shaped hills are not inessential, but vital for tiger movement between these two segments.

Rajasthan had defined boundary limits of CTH for Sariska in 2007-08, but the notification remained pending due to multiple disputes on land parcels.

With both state's forest minister Sanjay Sharma and Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav elected from Alwar, the contentious issue was taken up to disposal.

PTI