With prices for stay and eco-tourism activities in Jungle Resorts and Lodges being out of reach of most pockets in the State, the question to be asked is: does JLR serve its purpose as an conservation agent through tourism and education?
No, says environmentalist Praveen Bhargav. The State-owned resort “enjoys a monopoly” that is pushing prices too high, he maintains.
“A family may have to spend more than Rs. 10,000 on day trips to Bandipur. This eliminates opportunities for a section of the society from where the next generation of wildlife biologists, forest officers, conservation activists will probably emerge,” he says in his note to the Tourism Advisory Committee.
Instead, he believes the Forest Department must have control of at least 25 per cent of the entries to the lodge, which should be offered at subsidised affordable rates.
However, officials of the Forest Department claim that while “affordable eco-trails” were being run by the department, JLR “sensitises” a class of people who may have influence over the wildlife policy.
