SC lifts ban, tourism to resume in tiger parks

[admin]

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted its interim ban on tourism in core areas of tiger reserves, which had put popular destinations in national parks like Corbett and Kaziranga out of bounds.
Additional solicitor general Indira Jaising informed a bench of justices A K Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had framed guidelines for tiger tourism under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and notified it on Monday. The court said since the statutory authority had decided to permit tourism in 20% of core areas, its July 24 interim order banning tourism in those areas must be vacated.
“Now that the guidelines for tourism in core and buffer areas of tiger reserves have been notified by the NTCA, we modify the July 24 interim order and direct that henceforth, authorities will be allowing tourism as per the October 15 guidelines,” the bench said. States back SC move to lift ban
After the court slapped a ban based on suggestions the ministry of environment and forests had made earlier, many politicians, environmentalists and tiger conservationists had protested, saying it could allow poachers a free run in the forests.
The NTCA made a U-turn and told the court that since many states had reservations over a complete ban on tourism in core areas, it would consult all stakeholders and frame comprehensive guidelines for tiger conservation while protecting the rights of forest dwellers.
Taking the notifications on record, the bench asked state governments and Union Territory administrations to frame Tiger Conservation Plans within six months and send it to the NTCA for approval. Counsel for the state governments supported the court’s decision to vacate the interim ban.
The court had on July 24 issued interim ban on tourism, taking note of the failure of authorities to protect tigers whose population had dropped below 1,500 in the national parks. It also took note of state governments’ lethargy in notifying core and buffer zones in eco parks and sanctuaries.
The new NTCA guidelines said, “Since tourism has been happening in areas of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries which are designated as core and critical tiger habitat, regulated low impact tourism (visitation only) would be allowed in such areas subject to site specific carrying capacity.” However, it said “no new tourism infrastructure should be permitted in such core and critical tiger habitat”.