India, Oct. 8 -- Plans to restart Van Rani (Queen of the Jungle), the mini train at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and a popular tourist attraction, are falling prey to petty thieves and the weather. Material is being stolen from the project site and the newly laid track has suffered subsidence in some places due to heavy rain in the last fortnight.

Last week, SGNP officers caught a vagabond stealing the elastic pins which keep the mini train locked to the track, while material from the project site is frequently pilfered.

With an eye on the scheduled October 20 relaunch, SGNP's deputy director Kiran Patil wrote to deputy commissioner of police, Zone 12, Mahesh Chemte, about the thefts. In his letter, dated September 29, Patil s...