Jairam Ramesh admits failure, but supports Sariska project

Days after mysterious deaths of animals reported in Sariska National Park, environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday came out in support of the tiger revival project.

He has also written to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressing concern over the project, which has received a positive response.

Ramesh admitted to the failure of “governance and administration” in the Sariska project and said he had sent the National Tiger Conservation Authority chairman Rajesh Gopal to Sariska to ascertain the cause of tiger deaths.

“He will soon submit post-mortem report to the ministry,” Ramesh said.

“I admit that there has been a failure of governance and administration, and I take full responsibility. But it will be wrong to say that the relocation programme is not working,” Ramesh said on the sidelines of a function on climate change here.

He asserted that the best scientists of the country were working on the tiger relocation programme. Gopal and some senior scientists had been sent to Rajasthan and “they are examining the cause of the death of the tiger”, he said.

Ramesh also expressed concern at the ongoing mining in the buffer areas of Sariska and Ranthambore tiger reserve and said he had asked chief minister Gehlot to look into the matter. A tiger relocated from Ranthambhore to Sariska was found dead last week.