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Monday, Jul 26, 2004

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M.P. move on parks draws flak

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, JULY 25. The Madhya Pradesh Government's proposed move to seek private sector participation in developing Theme Parks at Kanha and Pench has come under criticism from forest and wildlife experts who feel that excessive pressure of tourists in and around these protected areas would seriously threaten ecology and wildlife.

The State Government issued a statement on Saturday announcing that Theme Parks would be developed at Kanha and Pench as part of the Government's policy to take up mega-projects with the help of the private sector. Last fortnight, the State Tourism Corporation Chairman, Nitish Bharadwaj, had flown to Kanha and Pench in a special chopper, taking along with him the top boss of Sun International of South Africa, Richard C. Hawkins to explore the possibility of developing eco-tourism in the State.

Kanha is the most outstanding National Park and wildlife Reserve in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. A visitor to Kanha is enchanted by the vast meadows in the midst of the rich Sal and bamboo forests. Everywhere one sees herds of spotted deer and it is a treat to watch the rare Barasingha (swamp deer). The tiger in the natural urroundings of Kanha sits at the apex of the biotic pyramid.

The Pench Tiger Reserve on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh bordering Maharashtra stretches along the lower reaches of the Satpura hills in Seoni and Chhindwara districts. It is named after the Pench River that flows through the Tiger Reserve. It has a picturesque undulating terrain with one end of the Reserve forest gradually merging with the Totladoh reservoir, which is part of the Pench hydro-electric project. Pench is also known as the Kipling country, romanticized and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in his Jungle Book. Nagpur is the nearest rail and air head for reaching the Pench Tiger Reserve.

When forest department officials were contacted, they confirmed that the State Government is in the process of giving final shape to its plan to build Amusement Parks at Kanha and Pench. A forester, on condition of anonymity, said that it is virtually not possible to build an amusement park at Kanha since the Kanha village is inside the National Park. Under a new proviso added to Section 33 of the Wildlife Protection Act in 2002, tourism promotion cannot be permitted in any Protected Area without the express permission of the National Wildlife Board, he pointed out.

Another senior State Forest department official said that the State Government is planning to build an Amusement Park through private sector investment close to the main entrance gate of Pench at Turia, which is about 12 kilometers from Khawasa on the Nagpur-Jabalpur highway. He said that since the Government has identified 120 hectares of revenue land and 40 hectares of forest land for this purpose, the Wildlife Protection Act would not be applicable in this case. Of course, he added, Central clearance would still be required for the 40 acres of forest land, which is proposed to be diverted for the Amusement Park. A cross-section of forest department officials were unanimous in their view that the amusement park should not be allowed to come up even outside the Pench Tiger Reserve because it is already touching the peak of its carrying capacity as far as tourists are concerned.

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M.P. move on parks draws flak