JAIPUR: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has indicted the Rajasthan Government for its "complete failure" in controlling poaching and encroachment on forest land and lack of monitoring that led to a drastic reduction in the population of tigers in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve and their extinction in the Sariska Tiger Reserve.

The CAG, in its report for the year ended March 31, 2006, stated that there were delays in preparation of management plan and transfer of funds, failure in fixing time schedules for achieving targets and improper management of tiger reserves. The report has been tabled in the Assembly during the current Budget session.

The tiger population fell drastically from 47 in 2004 to 26 in 2005 in Ranthambhore and from 16 to zero in Sariska. The CAG attributed the reduction to delay in registration and disposal of cases of poaching, abnormal decrease of prey animals, failure to re-locate hunting tribes, encroachment on forest lands and lack of initiative for development of corridors between separate stretches of forest land.

No tiger poaching was registered in either Sariska or Ranthambhore between January 2003 and March 2005 even though the tiger population had declined drastically during the period.

A State Empowered Committee also found that a "slack, complacent, negligent and ineffective" management team had failed to enforce the basic forest and wildlife laws to render protection to tigers and other major species.

The CAG noted that the works executed under the India Eco Development Project could not achieve the desired objectives of conservation of tigers and preservation of eco-system.

Against an estimated expenditure of Rs. 38.38 crores under the project, only Rs. 18.40 crore was spent.