Two public interest litigation petitions have been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here — one challenging a notification issued by the Centre on October 15, laying down guidelines for tourism activities around tiger reserves, and another to quash separate proceedings issued by the State Forest Department on February 18, permitting tourism-related activities at Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tirunelveli district.
SWASAM Trust, a non-governmental organisation represented by its managing trustee S. Ramesh, had filed both the petitions through its counsel T. Lajapathi Roy.
The trust claimed that permitting tourism-related activities in and around tiger reserves would defeat the object of ‘Project Tiger,’ a scheme implemented by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests since 1973 for ensuring a viable population of tiger in the country for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values.
Claiming that he was one among the members of a Local Advisory Committee for Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Mr. Ramesh said that the Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of the Reserve had erred in issuing the February 18 notification permitting tourists to enjoy boating in Karaiyar Dam and drive their vehicles up to upper Kodayar area. He contended that both the activities would prove disastrous to the wildlife and ecosystem in the Reserve.
“Allowing vehicles inside the core area would affect breeding of tiger population.”
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/pils-against-tourism-in-tiger-reserves/article4477495.ece
SWASAM Trust, a non-governmental organisation represented by its managing trustee S. Ramesh, had filed both the petitions through its counsel T. Lajapathi Roy.
The trust claimed that permitting tourism-related activities in and around tiger reserves would defeat the object of ‘Project Tiger,’ a scheme implemented by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests since 1973 for ensuring a viable population of tiger in the country for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values.
Claiming that he was one among the members of a Local Advisory Committee for Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Mr. Ramesh said that the Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of the Reserve had erred in issuing the February 18 notification permitting tourists to enjoy boating in Karaiyar Dam and drive their vehicles up to upper Kodayar area. He contended that both the activities would prove disastrous to the wildlife and ecosystem in the Reserve.
“Allowing vehicles inside the core area would affect breeding of tiger population.”
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/pils-against-tourism-in-tiger-reserves/article4477495.ece
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