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With tourism season all set to begin from October at the tiger reserves, all eyes are on the impending decision of the apex court on whether or not stay would be imposed on tourism in the core critical areas.
The issue is expected to come up in Supreme Court for the next hearing on September 28. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the MP Government have been asked to respond prior to the scheduled hearing. While NTCA has already filed its reply, the State Government is preparing for filing the same shortly.
The decision would be a landmark considering the issue of “mushrooming resorts and hotels, plying of large number of vehicles within the national parks across the country” was raised in Lok Sabha recently. As per the reply, 112 constructed or proposed resorts from Madhya Pradesh have been brought under scanner.
The much-awaited SC decision is in the wake of a petition filed by RTI activist, Ajay Dubey from Madhya Pradesh, challenging the order of the Jabalpur High Court on a PIL filed by him earlier on this issue. The petition has called for “banning all kinds of commercial tourism, hotelling and other human activities in the core/critical areas as notified in the Tiger Reserves in the State”, where there has been a decline in tiger population in the latest census. The petition pointed out that “core/critical areas” are meant for tigers and tigers only and for nobody else.
Meanwhile, both NTCA and the State Government are expected to present their earlier stands on the issue presented before the High Court. Supporting the contention of the petitioner, the NTCA had earlier stated “…the core/critical tiger habitats have to be kept inviolate and only management interventions can be allowed by the State Government in the said area. In such areas if tourism activities are taking place, they are required to be phased out in the fringe/buffer area.”
The State Government, while stating that it had permitted various commercial tourist activities, hotelling and human intervention in “core/critical areas” of Tiger Reserves, contended that it contributes to a lion’s share of revenue obtained from tourism.
The High Court delivered a ruling in its favour, and more resorts were found to be mushrooming in the area. However, at the face of the pending SC decision, the fate of the booming resorts in the State, once home to the largest tiger populace in the country, hangs in balance. The experts argued that the issue of making core/ critical areas inviolate has already been provisioned in Chapter-IV(B)- of 2006 amendment of Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.
The issue is expected to come up in Supreme Court for the next hearing on September 28. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the MP Government have been asked to respond prior to the scheduled hearing. While NTCA has already filed its reply, the State Government is preparing for filing the same shortly.
The decision would be a landmark considering the issue of “mushrooming resorts and hotels, plying of large number of vehicles within the national parks across the country” was raised in Lok Sabha recently. As per the reply, 112 constructed or proposed resorts from Madhya Pradesh have been brought under scanner.
The much-awaited SC decision is in the wake of a petition filed by RTI activist, Ajay Dubey from Madhya Pradesh, challenging the order of the Jabalpur High Court on a PIL filed by him earlier on this issue. The petition has called for “banning all kinds of commercial tourism, hotelling and other human activities in the core/critical areas as notified in the Tiger Reserves in the State”, where there has been a decline in tiger population in the latest census. The petition pointed out that “core/critical areas” are meant for tigers and tigers only and for nobody else.
Meanwhile, both NTCA and the State Government are expected to present their earlier stands on the issue presented before the High Court. Supporting the contention of the petitioner, the NTCA had earlier stated “…the core/critical tiger habitats have to be kept inviolate and only management interventions can be allowed by the State Government in the said area. In such areas if tourism activities are taking place, they are required to be phased out in the fringe/buffer area.”
The State Government, while stating that it had permitted various commercial tourist activities, hotelling and human intervention in “core/critical areas” of Tiger Reserves, contended that it contributes to a lion’s share of revenue obtained from tourism.
The High Court delivered a ruling in its favour, and more resorts were found to be mushrooming in the area. However, at the face of the pending SC decision, the fate of the booming resorts in the State, once home to the largest tiger populace in the country, hangs in balance. The experts argued that the issue of making core/ critical areas inviolate has already been provisioned in Chapter-IV(B)- of 2006 amendment of Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.
