Assam govt: NTCA seeks action on tourist facility in Manas Tiger Reserve

Guwahati: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has requested that the Assam government intervene in the construction of a tourism facility in the heart of Manas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and tiger reserve.

In a letter to the state Chief Secretary, the NTCA stated that an Assam-based environmental activist, Rohit Choudhury, had brought the attention of the Bodoland Territorial Council to the Rs 5.6 crore tourist facility.

The eight-room resort which is approaching construction was found to be in breach of the NTCA (Normative Standards for Tourism and Project Tiger) Guidelines, according to the NTCA.

“…it is requested that appropriate action in the said matter may please be initiated immediately and instructions may be issued for furnishing the factual status/action taken to this authority within a week’s time,” said the letter from Md Sajid Sultan, the tiger authority’s Assistant Inspector General of Forest.

Choudhury claimed that the tourism facility was in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 and Supreme Court directions. He also provided documents obtained through the Right to Information Act.

Forest rest houses or inspection bungalows, as defined by the Supreme Court in July 2018, were facilities created for the camping of forest officers primarily to discharge their duties related to the conservation, protection, and management of forests and wildlife, implying that such facilities could not be used for tourism, particularly night stays.

The NTCA rules aim to phase out night stay tourism from tiger reserves’ core areas and prevent the development of new tourism structures in such reserves’ vital tiger habitat.

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