india

Updated: Aug 23, 2019 00:31 IST

BHOPAL: The Kamal Nath government has decided to build helipads outside six of Madhya Pradesh’s popular tiger reserves to give a fillip to tourism, but wildlife experts have raised a red flag saying the whirr of choppers in the vicinity of national parks would be detrimental to big cats.

The decision, taken in a meeting on Monday chaired by the chief minister, comes after Madhya Pradesh was last month declared the “tiger state” of India as it is home to 526 big cats, the highest number in any state, according to the All India Tiger Estimation Report, 2018. The state had lost the tag to Karnataka as per the All India Tiger Estimation Report, 2010, which was declared in 2011.

The six tiger reserves are Kanha Tiger Reserve, Pench National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Panna Tiger Reserve, Satpura National Park & Tiger Reserve and the Sanjay Dubri National Park.

State forest minister Umang Singhar said that apart from the helipads, several other proposals to boost tourism were discussed at the meeting, including increasing the timings for entry of tourists by half an hour. The timings at present are from 6am to 10.30am and 3pm to 5.30pm. It is not clear whether the proposal is to increase the morning or the evening timings.

According to an official release issued on Monday, the chief minister stressed at the meeting that “regaining tiger state status is a matter of pride” for Madhya Pradesh and “to draw benefits from this situation economically, it’s necessary to give a boost to tourism”. He also asked experts attending the meeting to do proper brand promotion “to boost tourism as it is the sector which gives maximum employment”.

Asked if helicopters ferrying tourists would not disturb wild animals at the national parks, Singhar said the helipads would be built in its revenue areas, which are beyond the buffer zone to which tourists have full access. The most important section of a national park is the core area, to only 20% of which tourists have access, according to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines.

Wildlife experts and former officials have, however, questioned the helipad proposal. RN Saxena, retired principal chief conservator of forests, said, “Critical wildlife habitat should not be disturbed. There are clear cut guidelines from the Supreme Court and NTCA regarding carrying capacity of national parks and also activities around.”

Saxena said tiger parks were meant for protecting tigers, not for tourism. That was why tourism was allowed only in fringe areas of the parks and only 20% of the core area. There should be no activity that interferes with wildlife, he said.

Former chief conservator of forests Jagdish Chandra said, “A tiger doesn’t know the difference between a core area and a buffer zone. It needs unhindered movement in its area.”

Chandra said the proposal suggested the state government was willing to promote eco-tourism in buffer zones of national parks. He warned that anything done in violation of NTCA guidelines would adversely affect wildlife -- not just tigers but other animals, too.

Right to information (RTI) activist Ajay Dubey, who works with forest and environment issues, said, “It’s a matter of grave concern that the concern at Monday’s meeting was how to boost tourism instead of how to protect wildlife in a more efficient manner. We will move the NTCA and, if need be, the court to check the state government’s move that looks detrimental to wildlife.”

Monday’s meeting was attended by Madhya Pradesh forest and tourism department officials, directors of the state’s national parks, resort owners and tourism operators.

A state-level committee, comprising additional chief secretary, forests, chief wildlife warden, tourism principal secretary, representatives of resort owners and other beneficiaries, has been set up to chalk out plans to boost to tourism in wildlife zones. It has been asked submit its report to the chief minister by September 15.