By Express News Service
KOLKATA: To give big cats relief from noisy safaris, the West Bengal government, for the first time, will stop tourists’ movement in the state’s only two tiger reserve forests once a week following a directive from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
When two of the sanctuaries do not allow tourists once a week, there was no bar for tourists in the Sundarbans and Buxa tiger reserve forests. After receiving instructions from the NTCA, the state forest department issued a notice informing that safaris will not be allowed on Tuesday every week from April 1 in tourists’ destinations popular for tiger sightings.
Bengal Tiger Reserve field director Apurba Sen said though tourists would not be allowed in the Buxa forest area but the movement of the people residing in small pockets in the core areas of the forest would not be intercepted. “They will be allowed to roam from one place to another as their livelihood depends on it. Besides, emergency services will also be operational in the forest area on Tuesdays,’’ he said.
The notice triggered ire among the businessmen who own hotels and resorts in the area. “The state government should have discussed it with us before announcing it.” said a resort owner.
KOLKATA: To give big cats relief from noisy safaris, the West Bengal government, for the first time, will stop tourists’ movement in the state’s only two tiger reserve forests once a week following a directive from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
When two of the sanctuaries do not allow tourists once a week, there was no bar for tourists in the Sundarbans and Buxa tiger reserve forests. After receiving instructions from the NTCA, the state forest department issued a notice informing that safaris will not be allowed on Tuesday every week from April 1 in tourists’ destinations popular for tiger sightings.
Bengal Tiger Reserve field director Apurba Sen said though tourists would not be allowed in the Buxa forest area but the movement of the people residing in small pockets in the core areas of the forest would not be intercepted. “They will be allowed to roam from one place to another as their livelihood depends on it. Besides, emergency services will also be operational in the forest area on Tuesdays,’’ he said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The notice triggered ire among the businessmen who own hotels and resorts in the area. “The state government should have discussed it with us before announcing it.” said a resort owner.
