Supreme Court Bans Tiger Safaris in Core Areas of Jim Corbett National Park (image/unsplash)
The Supreme Court today imposed a ban on tiger safaris in the core areas of the forest reserve. Expressing grave concern over the felling of trees and environmental damage within the reserve, the Court asked the CBI to submit a status report on illegal construction and tree felling within three months.
However, the Court allowed tiger safaris in the peripheral and buffer zones of the reserve, subject to stringent conditions.
The move comes in response to the government of Uttarakhand”s earlier decision to permit safaris in core areas for select VVIPs, which the top court deemed detrimental to the forests. The bench, headed by Justice B R Gavai, strongly criticized the political-bureaucrat nexus for causing heavy damage to the natural habitats of the region.
The Court slammed former Uttarakhand Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat and then divisional forest officer Kishna Chand for illegal construction and the unprecedented felling of trees at the Tiger Reserve. “In the present case, it is clear beyond doubt, that the then forest minister had considered themselves beyond law, and it shows how Mr. Kishan Chand had thrown the public trust doctrine to the wind, and this shows how politicians and bureaucrats take law into their own hands,” the bench said, as quoted by India Today.
Earlier, in January, the court had stated, “We will not permit animals in the zoo to be kept (in cages) at national parks,” raising concerns over the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) 2019 guidelines that promoted the establishment of tiger safaris in buffer and fringe areas of tiger reserves.
The bench expressed concerns over the potential negative impacts of such facilities on the natural movement of animals and the spread of diseases within the park. The Court also suggested that areas like the Lutyens Zone in the Capital should be designated if a zoo were to be constructed.
The Court”s intervention came following a petition filed by environmental activist and lawyer Gaurav Bansal, challenging the Uttarakhand government”s plan to introduce a tiger safari resembling a zoo with caged animals in Jim Corbett National Park. The Court appointed Advocate K Parmeshwar as amicus curiae to assess the potential of such a facility within a national park.
#WATCH | Delhi: On SC judgement on Tiger Safari Plan at Jim Corbett National Park, Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal says “Supreme Court has directed CBI to provide an interim report on the investigation which they have done. Further, SC has also directed whether the Safari can be in… pic.twitter.com/SCO6hIeGvG
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2024
