BENGALURU: Illegal developmental activities continue to thrive in Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR) with no action being initiated despite incriminating inspection reports submitted by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and senior forest officials. Wildlife activists allege that lower level forest officials have provided false information to the department to cover up such activities.
The list of illegal activities in KTR, home to 20 tigers, is pretty long and these have been happily going on for the past three years. This includes a plethora of works — erection of electric poles, roads, bridge, pipeline, upgradation/widening/black topping of roads and a state highway, etc., without the PWD getting permission or approval from the CEC, Supreme Court or central authorities.
The latest in this list — erecting electric poles to provide power connection from Castle Rock to Bajarkunang in Castle Rock range — was implemented in October-November 2016 without approval. Forest officials admit that approval was never sought for these proposals and civic projects were implemented due to support from local politicians. On their part, PWD officials plead their helplessness and cite pressure from local leaders to take up the projects without any approval.
After wildlife activists from Dandeli region lodged a complaint on the development of a new road from Mingeli Cross to Gund village and a new pipeline from a stream near Kaneri bridge (Phansoli Wildlife Range) to Kaneri village (Gund Wildlife Range) inside the reserve, the NTCA submitted its first fact-finding report in July, 2014. The report clearly said PWD had failed to get approval from competent authorities and bluntly violated many provisions of Wildlife Act and other central guidelines.
However, even after NTCA’s incriminating report, illegal development works continued without a break in KTR. In 2015, a new road was constructed from Bargadda to Goyar while a new bridge came up along Sakkali stream in Anshi Wildlife Range. With activists lodging a complaint again, NTCA IGF P S Somashekar visited the spot and said (in March, 2015) all these works needed approval. Additional PCCF K N Murthy visited the site and submitted his report stating a minor violation of Forest (Conservation) Act.
With dime a dozen projects going on, on January 15, 2015, NTCA AIG, Forests, Rajesh appealed to PCCF (wildlife) to stop all illegal activities in KTR. In September 2015, NTCA DIG Sanjay Kumar requested the government to take action against PWD. But till date, no action has been taken.