Sharing a report published in Times of India. It may be noted that the forest department never misses a chance in civil works. I guess, more such concrete structures will follow within the reserves in the guise of helping tourism. Funds are a problem only when it comes to paying salaries to field force, patrolling etc, but never a problem for civil works. This is true in every state.

Sabyasachi

MP turns tiger reserves into tourism havens
Nitin Sethi, TNN, Aug 7, 2010, 02.56am IST

NEW DELHI: In a bizarre plan, the Madhya Pradesh government has ordered that tiger reserves and all parks and sanctuaries in the state be opened to rampant tourism by turning even the forest guard posts deep in the tiger havens into tourist halts.

Contrary to communications from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to some states asking to stop tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves and regulate it in the surroundings, MP has gone just the other way by ordering that tourists would now be even allowed to follow the forest guards and officers on routine patrolling.

In what could turn the safe haven for tigers into noisy picnic spots, the state government has ordered that tourists would even be allowed to carry their food and water deep into the forest department posts where they would be given accommodation.

Till date, even getting off designated vehicles in tiger reserves and national parks is prohibited to prevent disturbance to the natural habitat. The tourists, the Union environment and forests ministry has routinely advised, should only be allowed to go on designated tourist routes accompanied by official guides to prevent the wildlife being disturbed -- especially the tiger in its breeding grounds.

In Kanha tiger reserve in fact, the state government is now thinking of turning all forest beat offices inside into two-storied buildings with one floor being dedicated for tourists.

Coming at a time when the state and Centre are both working overtime to relocate tribals and other forest dwellers from the core of tiger reserves, the move to facilitate the businesses of the tourism lobby in the same area has not gone down well with the Union government, sources told TOI.

The step by state government comes even as the Union government has dithered on coming out with strict tourism guidelines as had been earlier prescribed by the Tiger Task Force in the wake of the Sariska fiasco.

The MP government had earlier also proposed to turn over a patch of wildlife zone to a private party to be run for high-end exclusive tourism which too the Centre had rejected outright.



The source article can be found here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/6266825.cms