Experts sceptic over Sariska village shifting

Jaipur, Sep 21: The shifting of villages from the Sariska Tiger Reserve is set to begin with the primary aim to reintroduce tigers in the sanctuary but experts say the move will not help.

The first phase will see the shifting of two villages Kankwadi and Baghani. Currently the central and state government authorities and officials of Tiger Project are touring the Sariska Reserve and mediating with the villagers. The project is to shift 15 villages out of the 28 in the forest's core area.

Around 130 families of Kankwadi and Bhagani villages will be shifted under the first phase. These families, numbering about 19 from Bhagani and 110 from Kankwadi will be given land near Behrod. Each family will be given two hectares of land along with compensation of Rs one lakh each.

Confirming the shifting of villages, Forest Minister Laxmi Narayan Dave told UNI ''The talks are on with the villagers and the shifting process will start soon. But I cannot give a fixed time-frame for complete shifting of villages.'' Once the shifting is complete, the tigers are expected to be reintroduced into the forest to check their declining population.

But retired principal conservator of forest, V D Sharma, who has made several visits to Sariska, says the shifting would not benefit the wildlife as most families have purchased land in adjoining Mandalwas, where they will live ultimately and their cattle would continue to graze in the area.'' Mr Sharma says the villagers are getting land in Behrod where the prices are high. ''So the villagers may consider selling the land in Behrod for Rs 40-50 lakh per hectare and start living in Mandalwas, which is inside the Sariska forest,'' he added.

in 1975-76 village Karnakawas was shifted but land vacated by the villagers is still being used for grazing. The major threat to wildlife is not from cattle but from poachers, he added.

Mr Sharma suggested that villages like Kraska, which are located above a plateau and Umri, and which have considerable distance between them, should be vacated in the first phase, leaving about 200 square km area free of any sort of grazing disturbance.

Criticising that the government has no fixed criteria for shifting of villages, Mr Sharma said the ultimate aim is to benefit the habitat and the wildlife. He said the government should make maximum use of the limited land resource. About the reintroduction of tigers into Sariska, Mr Sharma said that six to eight cubs are born in Ranthambhore every year but they get killed by poachers outside the park. Grown up cubs ranging from nine months to two years, who can look after themselves can be released into Sariska as the forest has Sambhar and Cheetal in plenty, which is their basic food.

Mr Harshvardhan, another wildlife expert says, ''The shifting of villages is welcome but sadly the central and state government's priority in this case is missing.'' ''The whole project of shifting and reintroducing tigers has already been delayed by more than a year. They could have reintroduced tigers in Sariska by captive breeding earlier.'' Sariska and Ranthambhore - said to be home to nearly half the country's tiger population and showcases of Project Tiger, India's most ambitious wildlife conservation initiative has been under scrutiny since media reported that there are no tigers left in Sariska and only 27 left in Ranthambhore.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who called it ''possibly the biggest crisis in the management of wildlife'' since the Tiger Project launch in 1973, had also suggested tightening control on cattle grazing and developing alternative grazing areas in tiger reserves in his letter to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje last year.

UNI