The Sariska Tiger reserve remained closed for the second day on Thursday following protests by local farmers residing in the periphery of the reserve. Even resorts around the reserve were closed to further bookings from foreign tourists. Many tourists who were disallowed entry by the protestors remained stuck in their respective hotels throughout the day.
Hundreds of the farmers who were protesting against the relocation of their villages started a sit-in in front of the entrance of the gate. On Wednesday, hundreds of villagers had gathered for a mahapanchayat against the government order of not letting the farmers sell off their lands because of the ban on selling and purchasing of property nearby the reserve.
Accelerating the momentum, the farmers also blocked entries of foreign tourists at hotels in and around the reserve.
"Until our demands are met, we are not going to let anyone to enter inside the reserve. We won’t allow arrival of the tourists. We have been living here for generations and the state government is keen to kick us out from here which won’t be tolerated," said Bhupat Balayan, a local farmer leader, while talking to TOI on Thursday.
In order to prevent foreign tourists from checking into leading hotels, including Tiger Den and Sariska Palace, the villagers put woods, grass and even stones in front of the entrance gates of the hotels.
"Following the protests of the farmers, we did not had a single check-in of tourists. Those who came here on Wednesday are also checking out. It is incurring a heavy loss and we are hoping to see some improvement," said Sanjay Mathur, manager of Tiger Den.
The local hotel industry is apprehensive and expecting more cancellations of their bookings following the the farmers’ protest.
However, R S Shekhawat, field director of Sariska Tiger Reserve, claimed that tourists and visitors were allowed inside the reserve through other gates and means.
Since 2008, the farmers in the periphery of the reserve have been showing their anger against the state government and wildlife authorities’ decision to relocate them. Wildlife authorities had been claiming that the villagers are allegedly into poaching and poisoning tigers for their survival.