Bengaluru: Wildlife activists are seeking the intervention of the Forest Department to stall the construction of a resort bang in the middle of the notified areas of the Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve (DATR). Construction is in full swing in an area of over two acres at Anmod village of Uttara Kannada district, in the heart of Castle Rock Wildlife Range, which falls within the administrative control of Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve.
A Goa-based individual has constructed a tourist resort on agricultural land with 10 cottages and modern amenities like a swimming pool in Anmod village of Uttara Kannada district. Anmod village is an enclosure within the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, and all commercial tourism activities are regulated as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 even within the enclosure.
The activists allege that the owner of the resort has not obtained any permission from the forest department and National Board for Wildlife to construct a commercial tourist resort in the wildlife sanctuary, which they say is in violation of section 33(a) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. Since the resort is constructed on agricultural land, it needs to be seen if a violation of section 95 (2) of Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 has occurred too.
“Though the construction started in February 2013 and is now in its finishing stages, none of the officials from DATR have taken action or issued any notices to the resort owner to stop the illegal activity, indicating that there could be more to it than meets the eye,” said an activist from Dandeli.
The activists also recall that Madan Nayak, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Dandeli, was beaten to death in May 2012, when he tried to stop tourists from feeding crocodiles in a resort on the banks of the river Kali. This illegal resort was shut down.
“However, no follow-up action to evict other existing illegal resorts or to stop new ones from coming up has been initiated. “Illegally-run resorts now add to the list of threats -- habitat fragmentation, poaching and timber smuggling that loom over Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. There is an immediate need to stop new set-ups and evict existing illegal constructions,” the activist added.
This is the third such incident where the resorts have encountered a legal hurdle. Two such cases were reported last month, each from Nagarhole and Bhadra Tiger Reserves.
Crucial wildlife area
The area where the resort construction is being carried out is surrounded by pristine forests on all sides and is an important wildlife habitat for tiger, leopard, elephant, and several other wildlife species. The area serves as a link between Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve and Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belgaum district and is also a part of a larger tiger landscape.
