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Why Ranthambhore stakeholders smell competition in Sariska Tiger Reserve

It was in 2005 when all the tigers in the reserve were wiped out to poaching and now the situation appears similar.

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The poaching of two tigers from Sariska Tiger Reserve might have brought the officials out of their slumber, but it appears that it was not just the official’s doings that brought Sariska to such a fate. It was in 2005 when all the tigers in the reserve were wiped out to poaching and now the situation appears similar. However, this time around only the officials at Sariska are not to be blamed. Highly placed sources in the forest department reveal that the poor management issues that have marred the reserve for the past five years have not been due to inefficiency of officials rather due to the economic interests of hoteliers sitting 250 kilometers away at Ranthambhore.

Whatsmore, the hoteliers had formed a cartel under the previous government and became politically powerful due to which they exercised their power and kept Sariska disturbed, all but for a fistful of dollars.

Since 2013, management at Sariska has been constantly under pressure. “First there was the pressure from villagers but that could have been dealt with. However, now there is an all powerful lobby that does not want Sariska to function properly. This lobby, which consists of owners of highly successfull and expensive hotels, has been quietly making a monopoly of sorts at Ranthambhore. A tiger lover has to come to Ranthambhore to see the tiger as it is managed beautifully as compared to Sariska. Furthermore, even the tour operators have been forced to get their clients to Ranthambhore than to Sariska even though Sariska lies around 150 kilometers from Delhi,” an official sitting at Jaipur told dna on condition of anonymity.Sources reveal that a few chosen hoteliers at Ranthambhore were even extremely close to the power center in the state government through which they can get their desired work done and the power center also aides them without questioning. 

“For example why did the ACB’s investigation into the complaint of allowing more cars into Ranthambhore end without conclusion. Few acb officials had tried to break the net by trying to find the reality behind online booking and spot booking. However within hours the ACB stood corrected and the forest officials on the ground were audacious enough to challenge territorial jurisdiction of acb sleuths Even though the cops were well under their limits,” an official in know how of the matter said, adding further, “apart from that when the empowered committee had decided that tigers would be brought to Sariska at regular intervals from Ranthambhore why then, Inspite of NTCA not giving approval, was tiger shifted to Mukundra and crores of rupees spent just for a boundary and thus caging the feline there. The government might have changed, but a few from the cartel are still in a seat of power”
Interestingly, recently there was another commotion at the booking window at Ranthambhore where the local police had to intervene. “There was a buzz that five tracks were being handed to a private party for operations and slowing down the booking was the way however the people revolted and it could not be so. But already there are a few zones where only a select few can move about, and these clients are always of the high and mighty hoteliers close to the power center. Apart from them no one can go on these zones thus he hoteliers charge a handsome amount for a bespoke jungle experience” officials said.

It is interesting to note here that a few renowned wildlife and tiger experts are on the side of the hoteliers and due to this have reached close to the power. “The closeness can be determined from the fact that these experts have dominated in the transfer policies as well as in day to day running of park. They have managed to single out Sariska as the hoteliers’ interests dont match here for the simple reason that they do not run a property here. If the cotorie had some venture at Sariska they would have made sure Sariska bloomed like before” another official from the department claims.

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