The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has written to the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State to initiate action against illegal resorts and homestays in enclosures of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, better known as BRT Tiger Reserve.
A directive to this effect was issued on May 11 by Abhishek Kumar, Assistant Inspector General of Forests – NTCA, which also drew attention to the site inspection and factual report submitted by the NTCA with actionable points that need to be undertaken.
This followed a complaint by conservation activist Giridhar Kulkarni of Belagavi who had filed a complaint to NTCA requesting it to initiate action consequent to the site inspection conducted in November 2022 and submission of a report underlining the irregularities.
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Site inspection was conducted by Harini Venugopal, AIG, Forests of NTCA, whose report indicates that in one case a residential building had been constructed but the rooms were being used as homestays with bookings made through local means. There was another case in which two buildings of 8 rooms each had been constructed but the hotel was not operational at the time of inspection. Besides, the land owner had informed that he had sought permission from the Tourism Department and online booking facilities were available.
In case of a well-known NGO, the report mentioned that one facility was being run as a full-fledged resort in the name of environmental education and was a fully commercial venture.
Similarly, a water retention structure has been constructed by a resort owner without taking permission from the Revenue or Forest Department in violation of sections 29 and 33 of the Wildlife Protection Act. The NTCA report also said that it was also essential to verify if any encroachment on government land beyond what was allotted to the owners, has taken place.
The NTCA report also cited the observations of Upa Lokayukta directing the State government to take immediate action to remove encroachments and conduct a joint survey of the forest land which was illegally granted to several people, the lands on which unauthorised cultivation was going on and where several luxury resorts have come up.
When contacted Deep Contractor, Director, BRT Tiger Reserve, confirmed that the copy of the NTCA communique to the Chief Wildlife Warden has been received and she would seek a meeting of the Eco Sensitive Zone monitoring committee whose chairman is the Regional Commissioner, Mysuru. “As soon as the election process is completed the issue would be taken up so as to resolve it expeditiously’’, she added.
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