Corbett battles commercialisation to protect its tigers

Worse, an entire team — comprising park Director, Deputy Director, Warden, DFO Kalagarh — has been transferred, reportedly for opposing the commercial exploitation of the area. While park Director Rajiv Bhartari has been at Corbett for the past three years, DFO Kalagarh G Sonar and Deputy Director Parag Dhakate have served it for two years.

Much to the chagrin of the tourism lobby, the team had stopped elephant safaris during the monsoon in order to quell illegal access to the rivers and stopped the practice of resort owners buying permits for tourists. Now, tourists have to buy permits themselves, putting an end to illegal buying and selling of permits. This had prompted angry gypsy drivers to gherao the former Director on two occasions.

While the law is shaky on the use of private land in forests outside the tiger zone, it says that private parties can’t cut trees. Further, the Supreme Court in 1997 said that rivers are for public use and not for private profit. Nevertheless, many of these resorts illegally access rivers, which are prime wildlife habitats.

One of the parties involved, Leisure Hotels, even attempted to erect a prefabricated structure next to its luxury tents, and was stopped by the former director. The group also made a dirt track inside the reserve to reach the lodge, breaking forest law, says a reliable source.

In response, Sonar...