By Our Staff Reporter
Nainital, 23 Apr: A public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the establishment of the Chandni Safari Eco-Tourism Zone within the Bail Padav Range of the Corbett National Park was taken up for hearing by the Uttarakhand High Court in Nainital today. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G Narender and Justice Alok Mehra directed the State Government to inform the Court whether requisite permissions had been obtained from the competent authorities before setting up the safari zone. The Court also issued verbal direction that no further steps ought to be taken in this matter until such clarifications are placed on record.
During the course of the hearing, the counsel appearing for the Forest Department submitted that the proposed eco-tourism zone has not yet been established but is presently only at a conceptual stage. In rebuttal, the petitioner asserted that the necessary sanction from the Central Government has not been sought, and that the State Government is proceeding unilaterally, in contravention of established statutory norms.
The petitioners, Mukesh Bisht, Devendra Singh Fartyal and Naveen Upadhyay, are residents of Gebua, Kyari, and Gajpur Chhoi respectively. They have alleged that approximately 35 kilometres of forest area in the Bail Padav Range under the Terai Western Forest Division has already been developed in the name of promoting eco-tourism.
The PIL further claims that there already exist fifteen designated eco-tourism zones within Corbett National Park. The creation of an additional zone, under the nomenclature of Chandni Safari Eco-Tourism, without consultation of the local populace, constitutes a violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the guidelines issued by the Government of India thereunder.
The petitioners also contended that the mandatory process of public consultation with the affected villagers has been wholly bypassed. The guidelines stipulate that local communities must be taken into confidence prior to the notification of any safari zone.
It has been also claimed that the local residents have expressed grave apprehension that increased human activity in ecologically sensitive forest areas shall result in disturbances to wildlife, leading to heightened human-wildlife conflict and ecological imbalance. There is a fear that wild animals shall be compelled to venture into human settlements, thereby jeopardising both human and animal life.
At the same time, in its response, the State Government has defended the initiative, stating that the eco-tourism zone is intended to bring developmental benefits to the region. It also submitted that the project would generate employment and livelihood opportunities for the villagers, and that opposition to such initiatives would hinder progress.
