The Union Tourism Minister, Mr Subodh Kant Sahay, on Saturday said the Government was expecting a solution both to protect tigers and keep tourism alive.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s order to ban tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves, Mr Sahay said: “We cannot compromise on tiger protection. We have to find a way out so that tourism and tiger protection happen simultaneously.”
“Unfortunately, tigers are not disturbed by the tourists, rather by the poachers,” he added. The Minister said he was awaiting a final outcome in this regard based on the August 22 hearing.
Contrary to popular perception, the Supreme Court’s temporary ban on tourism in core areas is likely to hit tiger conservation hard in Maharashtra if it stays beyond its period of three weeks, say National Wildlife Board (NWLB) members and conservationists.
The reason: there is not a single private resort in core areas in the state’s tiger reserves and, unlike other states which are overwhelmed by private resorts in core areas, there is a problem of inadequate infrastructure for tourists.
Bittu Sehgal, veteran conservationist and member of the NWLB, was extremely critical about the SC order. “Our idea was to regulate and control tourism inside core areas not ban it completely.” Further, he added, “banning tourism in core areas means banning it altogether from tiger reserves.”
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