The forest department has stepped up patrolling and monitoring to ensure that the Christmas and New Year celebrations at venues near protected forest areas do not violate environmental regulations.
Teams comprising officials of the Forest Department, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB), police and district administration are monitoring resorts near Corbett National Park to check noise pollution from parties.
While the authorities claim to have taken necessary measures to prevent the violation of environmental regulations during the revelries, wildlife activists have expressed concern at the risk posed by poachers wanting to capitalise on the celebrations. It should be mentioned here that in addition to the forest department rest houses, the considerable number of commercial lodges and resorts around Corbett and other protected forest areas are generally booked to capacity during the Christmas-New Year period. With parties being held at various resorts close to Corbett, the joint task force is monitoring resorts and other venues to prevent noise pollution from the revelries.
It will be recalled that following Uttarakhand High Court directions banning sound amplification in resorts within 500 metres of the national park in 2012, a joint task force was formed to ensure adherence to the 50 decible and 40 decible limits for noise during the daytime and nighttime respectively. Talking to The Pioneer, the chief wildlife warden Dig Vijay Singh Khati said that the department has stepped up vigilance to ensure that the environmental regulations are adhered to. Necessary measures are also being taken to make sure that celebratory functions in resorts within 500 metres of Corbett boundary do not violate the noise limit.
On the other hand, wildlife activists point out that though the authorities may succeed in keeping noise pollution under check, effectively tackling the threat posed to the wildlife by poachers remains a daunting task for the department.
With the focus in general being centered on the revenue generating tourism activities and celebrations, poachers active in various areas are attempting to capitalise on the situation. A wildlife activist said, “Poachers are active in various areas and looking forward to capitalise on the chinks in wildlife security especially in Rajaji tiger reserve where addition of a forest range in the tiger reserve is causing the department to stretch its resources in order to ensure wildlife security,” said the activist.