BENGALURU: Soon after the Jog Management Authority (JMA) lit up the live Jog Falls to draw tourists at night, Karnataka Forest Department halted it after environmentalists opposed the idea. The JMA started illuminating the falls at night for a short duration to draw tourists. According to locals, the illumination started a week ago, but the JMA claims it started only from September 2.
A JMA official said, “The falls were being lit only from 7.00 pm to 7.15 pm on a trial basis. It used to be done when the management was with Karnataka Power Corporation, but was stopped. It was restarted because many tourists complained they couldn’t see the falls because of the dense fog. ”Tourism minister CT Ravi said only trials are being done now and a final decision will be taken based on feedback. “It is a part of the Rs 140-crore comprehensive development plan of Jog falls and cabinet approval is awaited. No environmental clearance is required as the areas where activities are proposed are under the minor irrigation department and on revenue land,” he said.
But environmentalists and forest officials are not convinced. A conservationist said, “Even though a part of the falls is under revenue land, it is in the Sharavathi Valley – a part of Western Ghats, home to endangered species. By illuminating it, JMA is opening doors for tourists to stay in the forests at night, calling for more environmental damage. It will demand road widening to meet crowd expectations and will also give way for the rejected proposal of making Jog Falls perennial, artificially.”
When TNIE intervened, forest minister Anand Singh and forest department took immediate action and ordered to stop the illumination immediately.Forest officials added, “We were not aware of the order as no permission was sought from us. We have asked them to undertake a feasibility study of the impact it will have on nocturnal species, especially bats, insects and other wildlife.”