Worst ever tiger crisis: PM to CM

2 March, 2005

More than a month after The Indian Express reported the disappearance of tigers from Sariska, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called it possibly the ‘‘biggest crisis in the management of our wildlife’’ since the launch of Project Tiger.
In a letter to Rajasthan Chief Minsiter Vasundhara Raje Scindia, the PM called for immediate remedial action by both state and Centre.
‘‘While I am taking up the matter with the Ministry of Environment, I would like to suggest some immediate steps that could be taken by the state government,’’ the letter said. The steps include:
= A high-level independent inquiry to identify the cause(s) and fix responsibility for the disappearance of tigers.
= Immediate halt to plying of diesel vehicles within the park. *Filling up vacant posts in the park within three months
= Tightening controls on cattle grazing and developing alternate grazing areas
= Working out arrangements with Ganesha Temple authorities in Sariska to control and regulate pilgrims and a halt on cooking inside the park
= Carrying out raids in townships near parks to control the sale and purchase of bush meat and identify the suppliers
= Construction of alternative route for the canal that cuts through the Sariska Park within a year The PM added that a system of post-mortem and inquiry should be introduced for every death of a tiger in a national park and reserve by a group of outside experts.