JAIPUR: For Ranthambore National Park, VIP tourists and flouting of norms seem to go hand in hand. Recently a park official, while escorting a VIP tourist, chose to meander off the safari track on hot trail of a tiger, much to the amazement of others. The official, a ranger, choose to enter no-go areas in zone number 4 in Lakarda to please his tourist friends, said a witness.
"The patrol vehicle the ranger was in, along with his friends, spotted a tiger and started following it. The vehicle then went off the safari tracks into the grass much to the amazement of other tourists who were in the same area then," he said.
"Seeing the vehicle follow the tiger, an American tourist who was close by also wanted his guides to go in the same direction. But the guides explained it was against the rules. The American enquired as to why the other jeep had gone that way and he had to be told that there was an official in it and so he was free' to do what he wanted," he said.
The tourist then clicked a picture of the jeep and intimated wildlife activists. "How do you propose to impose laws and rules to such places where the rulers themselves are unruly? If officials of the department flout rules of conservation, then what do you expect from ordinary people?" asked an activist.
In August last year, even when the park remained on its annual closure, 40 tourists aboard luxury train Palace on Wheels were allowed to go inside the park for tiger-sighting.
In October last year, during the wedding of British comedian Russell Brand and US pop singer Katy Perry, complaints of noise pollution and the couple entering the park premises with commodities which are strictly banned were reported.
"Not just this, officials often choose to take their guests to prime zones even if they do not get it by default. According to the rules, the zones are allotted on a rotational basis. But rules just apply to commoners and not the VIPs or officials," said a source.
However, officials of the department denied the allegations. "All rules are strictly adhered to by one and all. In the event someone has done something wrong, we will look into it and act suitably," said an official.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/To-appease-VIP-tourists-officials-flout-norms-in-Ranthambore/articleshow/7643023.cms
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