New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday said sentiments of devotees who visit the famous Pandupol Hanuman temple in the Sariska Tiger Reserve should also be given due consideration while protecting the big-cat reserve and sanctuary.
A bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice K V Viswanathan noted the concern of the temple trust and the devotees that immediate stopping of private vehicles will lead to depriving the thousands of devotees who visit the temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
The apex court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), in its report, has flagged concerns over harm to wildlife in the Sariska Tiger Reserve due to the unregulated movement of private vehicles to the famous Pandupol Hanuman temple in the core area.
"While protecting tiger reserve and sanctuary, the sentiments of the devotees who visit the temple should also be given due consideration," the bench said while constituting a committee that includes the Sariska district magistrate, the field director of Project Tiger and a member of the CEC.
The top court had earlier sought the Rajasthan government's response to the CEC's report flagging concerns over harm to wildlife in the Sariska Tiger Reserve due to the unregulated movement of private vehicles to the famous Pandupol Hanuman temple in the core area.
Senior advocate K Parameshwar, who is assisting the court in the matter as amicus curiae, had said the CEC has recommended a blanket ban on private vehicles plying to the ancient temple in the core area of the tiger reserve and suggested that electric shuttle buses could be a viable option for ferrying devotees.
He had submitted that the CEC, in its report, has said the massive vehicular traffic inside the reserve is negatively affecting tiger breeding and other wildlife. Parameshwar also flagged a shortage of staff, including a vacancy for the post of field director of the reserve.
He said the unrestricted movement of tourist vehicles to the Pandupol temple, located 22 kilometres inside the reserve's core area, is affecting tiger conservation.
Nestled in the Aravalli mountain range, the Sariska Tiger Reserve spans the Alwar and Jaipur districts of Rajasthan and its core area supports diverse wildlife, including multiple cat species, mongooses and marsh crocodiles.
