Is there a lack of will among some officials of the Forest Department to take action against an alleged illegal resort that has come up inside the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) in Uttar Kannada district? A forest official told The Hindu that the matter was being looked into.
Though the existence of ‘Trinity Jungle Resorts’ run by the Mumbai-based Jatyosh Investments Holidays Ltd., came to the knowledge of the Forest Department more than two years ago, action appears to have been delayed under the pretext of procedural aspects.
S.P. Patil, Under Secretary to Government (Wildlife, Planning and Corporations), Forest, Environment & Ecology & Cooperation Department, sent a letter to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wild Life), Bengaluru dated May 27, 2016 seeking a report on the resort at the earliest. The resort has come up in Anmod village falling within the administrative control of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve (DATR).
Since the Forest Department did not submit the report sought by the Office of Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department in March, 2015, the Under Secretary of the department issued a fresh letter.
The promoter has constructed 15 suites and modern amenities including a swimming pool at Survey Number 83B in violation of section 33(a) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. Anmod village is an enclosure within Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary where all commercial tourism activities are regulated as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. The owner of the resort has not obtained permission from the Forest Department and National Board for Wildlife to construct the commercial tourism resort inside the sanctuary, a wildlife activist told The Hindu .
The Director of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve had written to the Chief Wildlife Warden dated March 4, 2015 stating that the Tourism Department had permitted construction of the resort on September 6, 2013. However, the Karnataka Wilderness Tourism policy clearly specifies that resorts will not be permitted inside national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and their enclosures. Anmod and surrounding areas had been declared as part of Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary since December 2011. Hence, the permission accorded by the Tourism Department seems to be illegal, the activist pointed out.
A forest official in Uttara Kannada district said the department was ascertaining the claims of the owner of the resort that he had been running tourism activity in the said land since 1986. This comes in contrast to the observation of the Director of DATR in his letter that no record of existence of the resort in 1986 was found.
Now, all eyes are on the awaited response of the PCCF (Wildlife) to the letter of the Under Secretary of the Forest Department.
