
HUBBALLI: The Karnataka Forest Department has ordered an inquiry into the incident where 40-odd SUVs allegedly trespassed the Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR) without obtaining any permission from the authorities.
The incident occurred in the first week of March and came to light after wildlife activists from Goa tipped off the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The Department has now appointed an officer of the level of Deputy Conservator of Forests from Uttara Kannada district to investigate the matter.
Some local foresters had earlier claimed that there was no trespassing and that SUVs were not allowed into the coreareas of reserve which are banned for any kind of events and non-forestry activities. A tyre manufacturing company, which had organised the event, too had clarified that necessary permission was obtained and the drive was on the periphery and not inside the reserve.
“We have appointed a senior-level officer to look into the matter. Nirmal Kulkarni who is member of Wildlife Advisory Board in Goa, had written to the NTCA seeking their intervention to stop the event. But it seems that the event was conducted without the local officials being kept in the loop,” said a forest official from the APCCF office in Bengaluru.
“Its also said that a local resort owner has led the team to undisclosed places along the Kali backwaters where there is enough evidence to believe that filming of the event had been done in the same area. A forest team which visited the spot soon after reports about the drive went viral, had found tyre marks and trash including alcohol bottles,” the official said.
Local wildlifers had demanded an high-level inquiry into the incident and a probe has been ordered in Goa as well as the off-road event was also held in Protected Area in that state.
“The Kali backwaters and other spots shown in the video where a jeep is dashing along the shores are located in Kali reserve under Haliyal territorial division. But to reach to these places, one has to go through Kali Reserve. The investigating team will be looking into all these angles,” the official added.