‘Tourists can spend night in core tiger habitats’: SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea seeking to restrain tourists from their overnight stay in core tiger reserve areas in the country.
A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih did not agree to the submissions that overnight stay of tourists in core tiger reserve areas would adversely impact the ecological balance as it consequently leads to a rise in vehicular traffic.
“This may affect the livelihood of the locals,” the CJI said, refusing to restrain tourists from overnight stay in core areas of tiger reserves.
On Friday, the top court would consider the submission permitting the National Tiger Conservation Authority to issue directions on matters relating to conserving tigers in the country instead of guidelines to government authorities.
Earlier, the bench had said it wanted a uniform policy throughout the country for management of tiger reserves.
It had observed that the policy should also include the aspect of vehicular movements inside Tiger reserves.
The CJI referred to the suo motu cognisance taken recently by the Bombay High Court over an incident where safari vehicles carrying tourists obstructed the movement of a tigress and her cubs in Maharashtra’s Umred-Pauni-Karhandla Sanctuary on the New Year eve.
In Nagpur, I came across a news item. Fortunately, the high court has taken a suo motu cognisance,” Justice Gavai observed.
Senior advocate K Parameshwar, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the matter, had referred to an enquiry by the CBI into the illegal construction and felling of trees in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
