New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday banned tiger safari in core areas of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. The court meanwhile, allowed setting up of tiger safari in the peripheral and buffer zones of the reserved forest Jim Corbett subject to the conditions.
The top court, while hearing the matter, rapped the Uttarakhand forest minister, his predecessor and forest department officials for tree felling incidents and rising commercial activities in protected areas. The Supreme Court also constituted a committee to know whether tiger safaris can be permitted in buffer or fringe areas of national parks in the country.
The top court on Wednesday came down heavily on former Uttarakhand forest minister Harak Singh Rawat and ex-divisional forest officer Kishan Chand for failing to check illegal construction works in the area. Slamming the concerned agencies for tree cutting and deforestation of the tiger reserve saying that officials responsible for damage of tiger reserve should be identified. The apex court asked Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit status report in this regard with a period of 3 months. The investigation agency is probing the matter.
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Environmental activist and lawyer Gaurav Bansal had moved a petition against the state government’s proposal to have a tiger safari and a specialised zoo with caged animals at the national park. The court, while hearing the petition, said that officials and politicians have thrown public trust doctrine in the waste bin in this case.
“They (Rawat and Chand) have in blatant disregard of the law and for commercial purposes indulged in mass felling of trees to construct buildings on the pretext of promotion of tourism,” said a bench headed by Justice BR Gavai. The SC bench said that it is amazed at the audacity of Rawat and Chand in giving statutory provisions a total go by.
“In the present case, it is clear beyond doubt, that the then forest minister had considered themselves as beyond law, and it shows how Mr. Kishan Chand had thrown the public trust doctrine to the wind and how politicians and bureaucrats take law into their own hands,” the court said.
“We are sure many others are involved. But, since the CBI is probing this, we are not saying anything more,” it said.
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