Construction of a commercial resort is allegedly going unabated in the vicinity of Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gondia district of Maharashtra in contravention of rules.
The resort is being built just four km from the Pitezhari Gate of the sanctuary, right under the nose of the forest authorities in the area, sources said.
Under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, no construction work can be carried out within 10 kms radius of protected forests for tourism. For any type of construction, a no objection certificate from the National Board for Wildlife (New Delhi) or the revenue department is mandatory. Also, under the ecotourism norms, no work for tourist activities can be done within a radius of 2 km of reserved forest.
The resort is being constructed over five acres of land, reportedly acquired from tribals, the sources said. According to sources, the work is underway at the site and on more than five occasions, tigers had been sighted near the construction area. The Gondia Nisarg Mandal met the concerned authorities and asked them to take steps to stop the work immediately.
When contacted, deputy conservator of forests (Bhandara), Yashbeer Singh, said that since the site in question is a private property, they are “helpless”. “We have sent our officials there a couple of times, but no one has been found there. As the place lies in a eco-sensitive zone, we have asked the district collector to stop the ongoing work,” Mr Singh said.
However, Bhandara collector Sacchindra Singh said they were unaware of any such request from the forest department. The collector said he has to see whether the concerned forest authorities have taken any action, and only then they will be able to comment on the issue.