By IANS
Jaipur : A committee constituted by the Supreme Court has hauled up the Rajasthan government for encroachment in a wildlife sanctuary allegedly with the help of politically influential people.
The committee has sought an explanation from the state government over alleged encroachment in the Bhainsrodgarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Chittorgarh district, over 300 km from here.
"The committee has sought a reply within three weeks on the basis of a petition filed by R.K. Somani, chairperson of the NGO Samajik Nyay and Vikas Sansthan," Mahendra Singh Kachhawa, counsel for the petitioner, told IANS here.
He said the NGO in its petition had alleged that some people with political patronage had encroached upon the 3,000-hectare area of the Bhainsrodgarh sanctuary.
"These people are using the land for carrying out anti-forest activities. Mass plantation has been carried out while a few of them have even constructed sheds with electricity and water connections," the NGO said in its petition.
The petitioner has requested the committee to order the removal of the encroachment and punish the culprits.
"The forest department had started to probe the encroachment matter but it was stopped in between on account of an official state government communication," the NGO claims in its petition.
The committee has sought a reply from the state government and asked it to file an affidavit in connection with official letters asking that no action be taken against the encroachers.
"The state government has been asked to reply as to whether these letters are fake or real," Kachhawa said.
The committee has also warned that if encroachment was taking place with political support, then the matter would be taken very seriously.
Bhainsrodgarh Wildlife Sanctuary was notified as a sanctuary in 1983. It houses wildlife such as the panther, wild boar, chinkara, fox, four-horned antelope, jackal, hyena and sambhar deer.
The government has time and again been criticised by animal lovers for not doing enough for the state's wildlife. For instance, the world famous Bharatpur bird park is virtually bereft of its winged visitors because of lack of water. The Sariska tiger park is also known to have lost all its tigers to poachers.