Relevant laws and the usual practices of the Uttarakhand Forest department seem to have gone into hibernation as far as the 300 odd foreign tourists camping illegally in the Rajaji National Park near Haridwar for over ten days now are concerned. The region is under a high alert due to the Maha Kumbh celebrations and also houses vital installations.
The officials seem to have protected themselves by passing the buck on each other to eject the trespassers. “Camping, cooking food on wood based chullahs, playing loud music or dancing is banned inside national parks as that might lead to forest fires or disturb the wildlife. But we are helpless as there is no police or magistrate available for the purpose,” the park officials say adding that the tourists were accompanied by a sadhu and chanting hymns.
“All have been booked under the law and we are trying to eject them,” said the officials.
Similarly, the foresters and civil administration were caught on a holiday when the alert cops rescued over 100 pilgrims caught in an inferno that engulfed the forest stretch between the famous Chandi Devi temple and Tedi Puliya on Friday.
“The policemen put themselves into danger and rescued us while the few forest officers present vanished from the scene,” said Surmukh Singh from Patiala whose family of six was amongst the pilgrims caught at Chandi Devi Temple when all hell broke loose. B. K. Moorthy from Chennai, while wanting the Government to reward the policemen, felt that it was time to either revamp or tame the bureaucracy.
The forest stretch around Chandi Devi is one of the very best biodiversity patches in the region and the foresters seem to have lost the opportunity to learn some real-time fire fighting skills by preferring to stay away discussing climate change and seeking more funds revealed a top official.
