Construction within tiger reserve corridors puts Wildlife, Tourism departments at odds in Madhya Pradesh

The archetypal task included the usage of 0.1604 hectares of onshore for operation of 16 rooms, a reception and different improvement enactment successful Son Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary. The task works “were nearing completion”, and the Board noted that this “violated provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 and State Forest Act”.

The 2nd connection was for the usage of 0.0435 hectares for operation of a league hall, toilet and room astatine Parsili Resort by the MPSTDC. The state’s Chief Wildlife Warden informed the Standing Committee that “the Tourism Department has carried retired enlargement adjacent the aged remainder location building”, pursuing which the committee expressed “displeasure implicit the violations carried retired by the Tourism Department” and “recommended enactment against those responsible”.

The Standing Committee ordered that some these projects beryllium demolished, and sought an mentation from the Tourism section and the section Collector.

On September 3, wildlife activistic Ajay Dubey wrote to the authorities wildlife section flagging that nary enactment had been taken.

On September 16, the Range Officer of Son Gharial Sanctuary, Rampur Naikin, and the Superintendent of Son Gharial Sanctuary, Sidhi, informed the Wildlife section that a announcement was issued 5 days earlier, connected September 11, to the Executive Engineer of MPSTDC’s Rewa Division and Managers of Parisili Resort and Kathbangla, instructing them to “demolish the amerciable constructions wrong 10 days”.

In response, the Executive Engineer of MPSTDC connected September 19 wrote that “the above-mentioned works were carried retired nether the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ strategy of the Government of India arsenic portion of the Wildlife Circuit, with administrative support from the Government of Madhya Pradesh”.

The missive besides mentioned that the “expenditure for these works was sanctioned nether the funds allocated by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and the Madhya Pradesh Government”, and requested further clip for “action connected these matters”.

On October 21, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) V N Ambade wrote a missive to the Assistant Inspector General of Forests, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, informing that “a announcement was issued connected September 11 to the acrophobic applicant, the Tourism Department, to demolish the illegally constructed infrastructures wrong the sanctuary wrong 10 days”.

As of now, the structures are inactive standing.

When contacted, Amit Kumar Dubey, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director astatine Sanjay Tiger Reserve, Sidhi, told The Indian Express, “We issued a announcement to the section authorities successful the MP tourism department. They person asked for time. They person sent a practice to the authorities section for consideration. The substance is near to the higher authorities.”

Principal Secretary Sheo Shekhar Shukla, from the MP Tourism and Culture department, said, “This appears to beryllium a regular matter and has ne'er been brought to my notice. Any misunderstanding, if astatine all, would beryllium sorted out. Both Forest and Tourism (departments) successful MP person ever worked unneurotic to enactment the authorities connected the satellite representation for quality and wildlife enthusiasts and would proceed to bash so.”

The Swadesh Darshan strategy was launched by the Ministry of Tourism successful 2014-15 with an purpose to supply fiscal assistance to authorities governments for improvement of tourism infrastructure astatine assorted destinations. Madhya Pradesh has 4 specified projects for which Rs 349 crore was sanctioned.

These see the improvement of a wildlife circuit astatine tiger reserves successful Pench, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna, Sanjay Dubri and Mukundpur. The different 3 projects impact the improvement of a Buddhist circuit, practice circuit and an eco circuit.