The Hindu: Belagavi: Friday, May
06, 2016.
An illegal
tourist resort is reportedly operating near Chikhale village of Khanapur taluk
in Belagavi district, within the Kanakumbi Territorial Range of Belagavi Forest
Division and about a kilometre away from the boundary of the Bhimgad Wildlife
Sanctuary.
Deputy
Conservator of Forests B.V. Patil, speaking to presspersons here recently,
confirmed that Soutira Resort and Mini Water Park was still carrying out its
commercial activities despite notices and direction issued since December last.
The matter came
to light when a wildlife activist obtained detailed information under the RTI
Act from the Forest Department and Ministry of Environment and Forests
(Wildlife Division) a few months ago.
Subsequently,
the matter was brought to the notice of the forest officials. The Karnataka
State Human Rights Commission also registered a suo motu case and asked
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Bengaluru, to submit a
report.
Acting on the
directions of the PCCF, Mr. Patil first issued a notice on December 10, 2015.
However, the
resort owner had failed to submit any documents except the no objection
certificate obtained from the Parwad Gram Panchayat.
Mr. Patil
also confirmed that the resort owner did not bother to respond to his first
notice. Hence, he issued two more notices in February this year explicitly
mentioning that the resort construction was illegal and should be evicted
immediately.
He said that
though the resort came up on private land, it had not obtained due permission
from the Karnataka State Tourism Department and KSPCB to run commercial
activities.
The Forest
Department did not object to running the resort but only insisted that its
owner could operate the resort after obtaining due permission from the
authorities concerned.
However, the
owner recently met Mr. Patil and claimed that she had applied to the Tourism
Department for permission.
Belagavi: The
wildlife activist, requesting anonymity, said that the establishment of
commercial hotels and resorts are strictly regulated within the eco-sensitive
zone of Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary as on the date of draft notification.
The Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972, and orders of the Supreme Court made it mandatory that
non-forestry activities in wildlife habitats (within Pas and 10 km from Protect
Area boundaries) needed approval from the State and Standing Committee of
National Board for Wildlife.
The boundary
of Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary is within 2 km from the resort area.
The area
where the resort has been operating is surrounded by pristine forests on all
sides and is an important wildlife habitat for tiger, leopard, elephant, and
several other wildlife species. Also, illegally run resorts now add to the list
of threats - habitat fragmentation, poaching and timber smuggling that threatens
Belagavi Forest Division which has some critical wildlife habitats as they are
bound create disturbances and even affect wildlife movement.
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