Forest department halts construction of illegal complex in Ranthambore

The Rajasthan forest department has stopped the construction of a major complex, comprising over a dozen rooms, inside the buffer zone of critical tiger habitat of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Sawai Madhopur district, terming it an “illegal” structure, officials familiar with the matter said.

The complex, officials said, was being built on the opposite side of Ganesh Dham, a local pilgrimage site, under Khilchipur gram panchayat. The single-storey concrete structure, divided into rooms by brick walls, is surrounded by marshy grassland of Ranthambore.

On September 22, director of RTR, Anoop KR, instructed his subordinate to seize the machinery and register a case against those involved in the violation.

“The building should be sealed and should be under possession of the forest department until further orders. An explanation should be sought from the staff in-charge of the area as to why they did not detect and stop this construction occurring in the Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH),” the director said in the correspondence.

Officials familiar with the matter said the construction could have taken place during monsoon months, when the tiger reserve is closed for the people and patrolling guards do not venture deep inside the forests as it is considered breeding period of the big cats. Ranthambore is home to 71 tigers and cubs, as per the 2023 tiger census.

RTR is also the third most dense tiger reserve after Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Any construction inside the reserve is considered a violation of the Forest Conservation Act.

“The construction has been stopped and directions have been issued to take action under the Wildlife Protection Act,” chief wildlife warden Pavan Upadhyay said.

Terming it an “illegal construction”, Khilchipur village sarpanch Rajendra Mali said: “The land was allotted to a priest, Prabhudas ji, years ago. The priest used to manage a nearby temple, which was likely in zone two or three of RTR. After the forest was declared as a sanctuary, he was moved to this location, where he lived and ran a cow shelter.”

The land where the construction was underway is a pasture land and is currently registered under the Urban Improvement Trust, Sawai Madhopur, he said. Members of a community started constructing a dharmshala (or lodge) in 2021, but it was stopped by the previous government. “Construction resumed recently, but now the forest department has halted it again,” the sarpanch added.