The Telangana government has issued an order to constitute a committee to explore and study the ecotourism potential of the State’s forests and draw up an ecotourism policy.
To be chaired by the Minister for Forests and Environment, the committee will have as its members Special Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary of the Finance department; Principal Secretary, Environment, Forests, Science and Technology; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force); PCCF (Wildlife); Secretary, Irrigation and CAD; vice-chairman and managing director, TS Forest Development Corporation (TSFDC); vice-chairman and MD, TS Tourism Development Corporation; Commissioner, Tribal Welfare; Commissioner, Endowments; a representative of the Confederation of Indian Industries; Director, Zoo Parks; a representative of World Wide Fund for Nature; and a representative of the Zoological Survey of India. Executive director, TSFDC-Ecotourism, will be the member-secretary.
The committee has scope for four more special invitees, from hospitality and adventure tourism industries, NGOs or forest officers from the State’s tiger reserves and the like.
The committee will be required to provide recommendations for a draft ecotourism policy in line with the guidelines issued by the Centre and in consideration of the provisions of the Forest Act within three months, by holding at least three meetings.
The brief handed over to the committee includes identifying government land falling outside the forest areas, areas within forest lands and private lands in eco-sensitive zones for tourism purposes; defining roles of the TSFDC and the Forest department on the proposed sites falling in forest areas; suggesting business models for attracting investments and sponsorships; fostering private entrepreneurship; identifying the possibility of wildlife safaris and other nature-adventure-tourism plans in protected areas; evolving strategies to enrich livelihood development of local tribal communities factoring in employment opportunities for local tribal youth; suggesting measures and programmes to ensure sustainable ecotourism to inculcate a sense of pride and appreciation for forests and biodiversity of the State; coming up with strategies to improve existing national parks and zoological parks to improve tourism aspects; and advising on synchronisation of tourism circuits involving Endowments, Tourism and Culture, and Transport departments.
