Jaipur, Sept. 16 -- Only one out of 12 cameras installed in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve's Wildlife Surveillance and Anti-Poaching System (WS&PS) is currently functional, officials said on Monday. The system, which was built in 2017-18 at a cost of nearly Rs.65 crore, consists of 12 surveillance towers of around 30 to 45 metres in height, with installed PTZ, optical and thermal cameras meant to provide uninterrupted, high-resolution monitoring to deter poaching and illegal activities. Each tower was designed to house five cameras capable of monitoring up to a 5-km radius, officials said, adding that 11 towers had been plagued by technical issues for over two years, despite repeated requests for action to the department of information technology from the forest department. "The Rajbhag and Mansarovar Dam thermal/optical camera had stopped working in May 2022. Both these areas were described as sensitive zones prone to illegal activities such as hunting, woodcutting, and stone quarrying," A senior official said. All 12 towers are in a state of general disrepair. Locations including Jagirdar ki Haveli, Bhairvi ka Sthan, Aama Ghati, Hilltop, High Point, Balaji Tent, Jhoomer Bawari, Sherpur, Rajbhag, and Mansarovar Dam have reported breakdowns since mid-2024. Drones were also procured as part of the project but, according to forest officials, they were never deployed even once. The Wildlife Surveillance and Anti-Poaching System envisioned expansion with new sites at Basso Top, Chholla Deh, Mataji Opposite Mandi, and Pandya ki Tall. While tower foundations were completed at some of these locations, equipment has not been installed and work has remained incomplete, said the official. Senior officials admit the system is technologically obsolete. Unlike modern AI-enabled surveillance that automatically detects suspicious movement and sends real-time alerts, the PTZ cameras installed at Ranthambore depend on continuous human monitoring. "The technology is no longer relevant in the current era," one officer acknowledged. The system was installed in 2017-18 at a cost of nearly Rs 65 crore. It was meant to However, with nearly the entire system dysfunctional for over two years at some sites, the ambitious project has been reduced to a costly white elephant. The forest department has once again urged the Information Technology Department to immediately repair the cameras and restore monitoring. Wildlife experts warn that without swift action, gaps in surveillance could pose a serious threat to tigers and other endangered species in one of India's most prominent reserves. Commenting on the development, RTR Field Director Anoop KR said, "The system was visualized and implemented for more effective protection of the Tiger Reserve by round the clock monitoring of sensitive areas. But the objectives were never achieved due to age old technology and lack of timely maintenance."...