TimesView Irrespective of the fact that forest officials had allowed marathons in Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in previous years, should the wrong decision be continued? Though MHTR got big cats in 2018, it was notified as a tiger reserve way back in 2013. In the last few years, efforts have been made to develop the prey base there, which even helped other endangered species to thrive. The marathon will not only affect the habitat of tigers, but wildlife in general. The forest department’s move is unjustifiable. The decision needs a second thought.

JAIPUR: In utter disregard to the Wildlife Protection Act, the forest department has allowed a marathon inside Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) on November 3.Hundreds of participants are scheduled to take part in the run — to be held under various categories such as 10km, 21km and 42km — passing through the critical habitat zone of Jawahar Sagar and Ambarani.Wildlife activists said though tigers weren’t present in the route where the event was being organized, it would disturb the natural habitat of endangered species such as leopards, sloth bears and spotted and sambar deer. Tapeshwar Singh Bhati, president of Mukundra Hills Environment and Wildlife Society, Kota said, “The core areas of tiger reserves are sacrosanct.”Bhati said, “The core areas of tiger reserves are sacrosanct. Even before the event, preparations are creating disturbance in the area. The organisers are shooting promotional videos and range officers are taking organisers inside the reserve to decide the routes.”Senior forest officials, however, claimed that such events would make the tiger turf popular and give a boost to tourism. Anand Mohan, the chief conservator of forests (wildlife) in Kota said, “The event is being held for the last two years. There is already a road passing through the core area through which five buses ply daily to ferry villagers residing in the forest. The marathon will not cause any harm and motivate residents towards environment protection. It would also make the reserve popular among tourists.”Refuting the claims, green activists lamented that organising the marathon was a violation of law. “Under Section 28 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the chief wildlife warden can grant permission to enter or reside in a sanctuary only for investigation or for studying of wildlife and purposes ancillary or incidental thereto, photography, scientific research and tourism. “ Granting permission for a commercial event is a blatant violation of law,” added Bhati.In addition to the November 3 event, another marathon called ‘Early Bird’ is scheduled on January 5 in which runners can participate in an 84km run. Forest officials said they were taking steps to ensure that the forest was not harmed in any way due to the event.Organiser Ajay Sethi said, “Our event is in association with the forest department. The motto of the event is ‘Run for Forest and Stand for Trees’. This will sensitise participants towards conservation of forests. Moreover, it would attract more tourists and participants across the country. This marathon is an endeavour to bring the tourism at par with international standards like the ones which is held in South Africa.”“Also the number of participants in the marathon is not much so as to disturb the animals and we have even adopted a zero trash policy where we ensure that no litter is spread in the more during the event,” added Sethi.