Resorts near tiger reserves have turned choice wedding destinations: Supreme Court

Music is played at a very loud volume which causes disturbance to the habitat of the forests, says Justice B.R. Gavai

The court said unbridled growth of resorts near protected forests for sheer commercial gains destroyed the delicate ecological balance of the area. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

The Supreme Court on Wednesday flagged the “mushrooming” of resorts around tiger reserves and their use as choice wedding destinations.

“Music is played at a very loud volume which causes disturbance to the habitat of the forests,” Justice B.R. Gavai condemned the trend in a judgment on the illegal felling of trees in the protected Jim Corbett National Park, one of the first of its kind in the country.

The court said unbridled growth of resorts near protected forests for sheer commercial gains destroyed the delicate ecological balance of the area.

Expert committee

The court directed an expert committee to be constituted by the Environment Ministry to make recommendations on the number and type of resorts that should be permitted within the close proximity of the protected areas.

The committee, in its report to be submitted to the apex court in three months, should also suggest “as to how much area from the boundary of the protected forest there should have restriction on noise level and what should be those permissible noise levels”.

The court said the government held natural resources such as forests in public trust.

“The executive acting under the doctrine of public trust cannot abdicate the natural resources and convert them into private ownership, or for commercial use. The aesthetic use and the pristine glory of the natural resources, the environment and the ecosystems of our country cannot be permitted to be eroded for private, commercial or any other use unless the courts find it necessary, in good faith, for the public good and in public interest to encroach upon the resources,” the Supreme Court expounded.