JAIPUR: Ranthambore forest authorities have found unscrupulous villagers from surrounding areas encroaching and farming on tiger reserve land.
According to sources, there is an ongoing attempt to encroach 250-300 bighas of land in the Khandoj area of RNP.
Trees have allegedly been cleared in the area using earth-moving machines.
“This is the largest attempt to encroach recorded to date in Ranthambore.
This has created disturbance in the tiger habitat as tigress T-102 had given birth to her cubs in this area.
Due to anthropogenic pressure and human disturbance, the cubs have moved to another part,” sources said.
The encroachment was started for agricultural activities by villagers living on the periphery of the park.
The village had gained notoriety in the past for attacking forest officials.
DFO Mahendra Sharma said, “After the matter was brought to our notice, forest and police teams were pressed into action.
A case will be registered against people who attempted to encroach the land.
Last year in August, the villagers tried to encroach the land.
However, because of timely action by our team, their efforts failed.” While Sharma admitted the attempt to encroach forest land, he refuted the claim that it came to 250-300 bighas.
“We have sought a report and the land chunk size is not more than 25 bighas.
Moreover, tigress T-102 has never inhabited that area as claimed,” he said.
Sources further claimed that the area was a crucial area and could be turned into an additional tourism zone.
Green activist Tapeshwar Singh Bhati alleged that officials did not follow the various laws that gave right to state governments to evict encroachments, including the Indian Forest Act, 1927; Wild Life Protection Act, 1972; and Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
”A strong political and bureaucratic will is required to remove encroachments from the tiger reserve.
The forest department should take strict action to discourage such activities as there would be huge impact on the tiger reserve if they let land to be encroached by villagers,” Bhati said.