Decks have been cleared for the rationalisation of sanctuaries with the National Wildlife Board clearing the state's proposal for redrawing the boundaries of the existing protected wildlife areas to exclude inhabited areas and cultivated fields. The issue had been hanging fire for the past four years and the people of 793 villages, which fell in sanctuary areas, had been facing problems due to severe restrictions imposed on carrying out development activities. Forest rights like grant of trees under the timber distribution rules were also curtailed in areas falling under sanctuaries. The committee of the board headed by Union minister of state for forests S. Raghupaty gave its approval after in-depth examination of the proposal. As per norms, protected areas could not be truncated and to exclude any area from a sanctuary, an equal area has to be added. The comprehensive rationalisation exercise will further increase the overall protected wildlife areas, which stood at 12.8 per cent of the total geographical area of the state, to 14 per cent. The boundaries of 24 out of the total 34 protected areas in the state will be altered and as many as 767 out of the total 793 villages will be taken out from sanctuaries. Forest minister J.P. Nadda said the rationalisation of sanctuaries would provide the much-needed relief to over 1.12 lakh persons who would be excluded from the protected-area norms. It would also go a long way in ensuring proper management of the protected wildlife areas in the state. Besides completely scrapping four sanctuaries, the boundaries of 20 others will be redrawn by excluding or including areas. The sanctuaries proposed to be de-notified are Norgu in the Chuhar valley, Daralghat and Silli in Solan district and Gobindsagar in Bilaspur district, while Naina Devi sanctuary will be converted into a conservation reserve. The Darlaghat (6.50 sq km) and Silli (2 sq km) are indeed small. The Naina Devi sanctuary, where a large number of Bhakra Dam oustees have been rehabilitated, and the Norgu sanctuary have a large human population. The total protected area will increase as forests rich in wildlife, which were left out earlier, will now be made part of these sanctuaries. The largest area of about 850 sq km will be included in the Kibber sanctuary in the cold desert of Spiti. It is the natural habitat of rare snow leopard and marmot. Chief wildlife warden Vinay Tandon said Himachal was the first state in the country to complete rationalisation exercise and get the proposal approved from the wildlife board. The major hurdle had been cleared and now the proposal would be put up before the empowered committee of the Supreme Court for the final nod.