Nishka Srinivas Veluvali –
Published On: December 09, 2021 at 19:40 IST
The Rajasthan High Court on 08 December, Wednesday dismissed the Plea of the Forest Department for vacating stay on the construction process inside the Todgarh-Raoli Wildlife Sanctuary which a part of the proposed Kumbhalgarh Tiger Reserve.
The stay was ordered when the forest department was constructing a road between Vanpath Gomthada and Goram Mandir in the sanctuary by utilising the funds allotted by the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT), in August.
The Order was released on December 8 that states, “We are not inclined to vacate the stay of the following proposed work including guest room, Gomthara, waiting room, forest path from Gomthada to Gomranghat, forest path from Gomthada to Goram temple and Sulabh complex at Jogmandi.”
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by the wildlife conservationist and lawyer Rituraj Singh upon learning the construction work proposed in the Sanctuary.
The Petitioner contended that the work was undertaken due to the Political pressure of the sitting Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) who had promised this path to the temple to the voters in the constituency.
At the outset, there is no proper connectivity for the devotees to reach temple. They have to take a metre gauge rail from Marwar Junction which passes through the forest.
The Petitioner claimed that the National Tiger Conservation Authority had already conducted a survey at Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary to proclaim it as the tiger reserve.The area as per the draft is about to be Kumbhalgarh Tiger Reserve that will constitute Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Todgarh – Raoli and the adjoining forests.