DANDELI: Country’s first canopy walk will become a reality in core Western Ghats of Karnataka. A 240m canopy walkway 30ft above the ground has been created at Kuveshi area near Castle Rock of Uttara Kannada.
The project which has been developed jointly by Karnataka Tourism and Forest Departments will be thrown open for public on February 18. Forest Minister Ramanath Rai, Industries Minister R V Deshpande and Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge will be present during inauguration.
O Palaiah, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kali Tiger Reserve, said the canopy walk will boost environment awareness among visitors and added that it is first such project in the country.
“The work is in the final stages and platforms are ready. The canopy walk area has been developed by the Tourism Department with the assistance of Forest Department. After the inauguration, the government will decide the operator,” he said.
It’s expected that either Jungle Lodges and Resorts or the Tourism Department will run the canopy walk.
Besides the operator, the Forest Department too is keen on letting the people to the canopy walk area by collecting a nominal fees.The tariff structure will be decided in the coming days.
The canopy walk idea was mooted three years ago. But the project got into legal hurdle after conservationists raised apprehensions about harm to Western Ghats.
“The project has been cleared by the central authorities. Technically, the Kali Tiger Reserve manages the Castle Rock wildlife range, which is part of the Dandeli sanctuary (declared as sanctuary in 2011). In the future, this area (Castle Rock range) of 248 sq km could be added to Kali Tiger Reserve, which is spread in 1,097 sq km,” said Palaiah.