MYSORE: As the tourists staying put at Bandipur woke up on Wednesday, they had a message from the forest department. ‘You have to vacate the room and move outside the tiger reserve.’
Armed with the Supreme Court directive banning tourist activities in core areas in tiger reserves, the authorities asked the visitors to vacate and also cancelled the bookings. The safari too has been banned. The crowd was less given it is weekday, sources at the Bandipur tiger said. The advance will be refunded, they stated.
The tiger reserves in Karnataka implemented the apex court order within 24 hours and banned eco-tourism activities. “We’ve banned safari at Bandipur, Nagarahole National Park and at BRT Wildlife Sanctuary following the apex court directive,” APCCF and field director (Project Tiger) B J Hosmath told The Times of India. A senior official at Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary said the ban has been enforced and the tiger reserve is out of bounds for educational activities too.
Bandipur and Nagarhole are the two main tiger reserves hit by the visitors and two reserves also form one of the largest contiguous protected tiger habitat in the world. Annually they log some 1.50 lakh tourists.
While the conservationists are happy, the tourism sector is apprehensive. It’ll impact the tourist flow adversely. It will cut down the flow by 10 per cent, M Rajendra of the Karnataka Hotel Owners’ Association said. Eco-tourism is one of the main draws for travelers to Mysore. They like to see the wildlife in their den. The ban is denying the opportunity since the safari is stopped, Rajendra, who is president of the Mysore Hotel Owners’ Association, told TOI. “The apex court should strike a balance,” he said.
Since 1980s eco-tourism is alluring the visitors. It has picked up since a decade earning crores for the forest department. In 2011-12, the forest department netted Rs 2.14 crore at Nagarhole up from Rs 1.37 crore earned in 2010-11.
At Bandipur, Rs 2.35 crore was earned in 2011-12. Part of the reason for the rise in the revenue is hike in the rates both for staying and safari. A senior official, who didn’t want to be quoted, expressed his displeasure at the blanket ban on tourism activities at the tiger reserves. “The budgetary support for tiger conservation is not big. We were utilizing part of the revenue towards conservation activities like employing tibals at anti-poaching camps. This will be hit if the ban is continued,” he stated.
According to him, such conservation formula has worked for the tiger habitats which have seen a rise in the number of big cats. It is about striking balance between the conservation and eco-tourism. The tiger reserves in North India didn’t regulate tourists flow, which is affecting us too, he stated. There are some 200 tigers in Karnataka’s reserves.
I read the mater. I am of the opinion that the JEEP SAFARI FROM jUNGLE LODGE or PRIVATE RESORTS is effecting the animals in the wild how?
The jeeps go deep in to the forest with more then one and half drive and the jeep roads are different then the ordinary bus roads. The Bandipur safari routes inside is like a layout roads and it will not resemble the forest. Except the Bus safari route all other roads shall be closed. The jeep safari shall be clsed. In the neighbouring Madhumalai there is no jeep safari only bus safari at reasonable rates and the road is pakka road and safe, the said system is enough to learent about forest and preserve forest, so childrens can be happy for the future forest and its habitanats.
The govt can submit before the court that the bus safari can be provided only in fixed route so as to develop the interest on forest and its preserve among the people particularly childrens. Without education to the people on forest, the forest will die. Limited safari with reasonsable price in a bus that to by the forest gaurds is the best safari. In the name of jeep safari the resorts shall not make money.
In Bandipur the reception center, offices, guest houses, quarters etc shall be shifted out to the entry gate, so the people will not stay inside, then animals have free movement and to see them only in fixed routes they can visit with forest gaurds help only. The shifting of main connecring road is not correct, since the same connects the Ooty and parts of kerala, now the road humps has laid and no one can’t go beyond 15 KM speed, by that time animals will cross and when there is no rash and speed drive, then there is no accidents to animals.
I am well acquainted with Bandipur, hence this comment. I suggest only Bus safari by the forest dept that to out side gate in the High way, not inside.