OPINION | Tiger! Tiger! In fading sight

With over 30 tigers roaming its forests, Sariska stands as a powerful yet delicate symbol of revival. (Representational image)

The Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan has long been a symbol of conservation struggles and a test case of India’s ecological commitment. Once home to a healthy tiger population, Sariska lost all its big cats to poachers in 2005. Later, it was painstakingly revived through one of the world’s first tiger reintroduction programmes, often hailed as a triumph of science and political will. Today, with over 30 tigers roaming its forests, Sariska stands as a powerful yet delicate symbol of revival.

Sariska: A Symbol of Revival and Resilience

Sadly, Sariska’s hard-earned resurrection is now under grave threat — not from poachers, but from the government and an influential mining lobby that reportedly seeks re-entry into the tiger park. The current crisis stems from a move to redraw the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) boundary in Sariska, which experts see as a bid to open up the reserve’s surroundings for mining and a betrayal of conservation.

The controversial move began in June this year when the State Wildlife Board approved a plan to “rationalise” the boundary of Sariska’s CTH. Under this proposal, the boundaries of the CTH will be revised by removing 48.5 sq km from the south and southwest. In return, around 91 sq km in the north will be added as ‘quality tiger habitat’, increasing the CTH area while reducing the buffer zone.

Controversial Push to Redraw Protected Boundaries

At first glance, this seems like a fair deal, but conservationists have a radically different view. They claim the plan to redraw the CTH is like taking away 50 acres of fertile fields from farmers and handing them 100 acres of barren, useless land. They stress that the CTH is not just a line on a map — it’s the tiger’s lifeline, an inviolate area where tigers can breed, hunt, and move without human interference. Diluting it to carve out spaces for mining or “development projects” is like amputating the heart of a body and expecting it to function.

The Sariska population of thirty tigers may sound like a success story, but scientists believe it’s still a fragile number. Any disruption or tampering with the CTH — via habitat fragmentation, prey depletion, noise, or pollution — risks turning Sariska’s revival into another tragedy.

The Aravallis around Sariska are rich in minerals, and the lure of mining revenue has long tempted governments to look the other way. But mines bring dynamite, trucks, pollution, and a flood of migrant labourers. They drive away prey species, ruin water sources, and shatter the ecological silence tigers need to thrive. No wonder, mining around Sariska has always been a grave issue. In the 1980s, India’s ‘Waterman’ Rajendra Singh and some NGOs in Alwar had petitioned the Supreme Court against illegal mining in Sariska. After a long legal battle, over 400 mines were shut down by a court order in 1993 — a landmark triumph for conservation.

Inevitably, whatever the overt logic for ‘rationalising’ Sariska’s boundaries, conservationists believe its covert aim is to pave the way for reopening over 50 mines that were earlier shut due to their proximity to the tiger habitat. They argue that mining in Sariska is not just an economic activity – it is ecological vandalism. Experts say it makes no sense to spend crores on tiger relocation programmes and anti-poaching patrols if we eventually bulldoze the Sariska forest for limestone or marble.

Significantly, experts underline that the CTH is a legally designated core area in a tiger reserve, focused on tiger conservation. As such, there are serious legal concerns over proper procedures being flouted in the government’s plan to reduce Sariska’s CTH area. Under the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, Forest Clearance Approval is mandatory for any revision of the CTH, and diversion of forest land is permissible only for genuine public interest — something conspicuously absent in the Sariska proposal.

Legal and Ecological Concerns Surround Boundary Revision

Conservationists emphasise that the borders of an area designated as a CTH can be altered only by the central — not state — government. It’s worth recalling that under Supreme Court directives, deforestation can be allowed only for essential public projects — like railway lines, national highways, hospitals, or army campuses. But since all of these are missing in the Sariska case, changing the CTH boundaries is simply not permissible.

Given the environmental dangers and legal lacunae, a plea in the Supreme Court argues that the proposed boundary changes threaten to revive mining around Sariska. Mining was banned by the apex court within 1 km of the CTH, but if boundaries are now revised to facilitate the reopening of mines, the plea claims the entire ecosystem will be at grave risk.

Without delving into legal minutiae, in the two hearings so far, the top court has put the Rajasthan government on the back foot. At the latest hearing on 8th September, the Supreme Court annulled the government’s draft for the Sariska CTH, stating it “had been prepared ignoring the interests of tigers.” The court also asked the state government to submit a new draft by 10th December, which “must be prepared keeping tiger welfare and previous court orders in mind.”

Conservationists Sound the Alarm

Beyond the legal manoeuvres lie the ethics and politics of the Sariska saga. India loves to parade Project Tiger as a global success story and often proclaims that it is home to 70% of the world’s tigers. But when it comes to protecting their actual habitats — as in Sariska — the government seems to bow to mining lobbies and short-term profits. If Sariska’s CTH can be redrawn today, what stops future governments from slicing up Ranthambore or Kanha tomorrow? Conservation can’t be selective. If the tiger is used as a poster child for international prestige, how can it be robbed of its forest in Sariska? That is not conservation — it’s double standards.

Public Outrage and the Fight to Save Sariska

Mercifully, a grassroots movement is gaining momentum against the mining menace in Sariska. Twenty years ago, public outrage over all tigers being poached in Sariska forced accountability. Today, public outrage must prevent betrayal. With conservationists, activists, students, and concerned citizens pitching in, a “Save Sariska” campaign has been launched to protect the reserve. Besides seeking online support, the campaigners want people nationwide to engage actively and demand the reversal of this ecologically dubious decision.

As wildlife lovers and local communities fight unitedly, it’s not just about Sariska. It’s about the credibility of India’s conservation ethos — and about proving that ecological security is as important as economic growth.

The battle to save Sariska is not optional but essential. Citizens must demand that the CTH boundaries remain sacrosanct. If India cannot protect Sariska — once a global embarrassment, then a symbol of revival — it signals to the world that our conservation claims are hollow. Sariska’s future will tell us whether India is truly serious about its wildlife — or whether tigers are just pawns in the endless game of profit and politics.

(Rajan Mahan is a senior journalist who headed NDTV and Star News in Rajasthan. He was also a Professor of Journalism at the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur.)

Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.