CHENNAI
Environmentalists and wildlife activists, gladdened by the recent Supreme Court order, banning tourism in core areas of tiger reserves, are now at loggerheads with the state forest department as the local tourist guides were violating the apex court’s guidelines and hotels in the buffer areas of Tamil Nadu forests were catering to thronging numbers of tourists.
“The situation is alarming in Masinagudi and Bokkapuram, where tourist influx has been relatively high this season. The reserve forests have been choking with tourists since Christmas and this will continue till New Year,” said Mr Jayachandran of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement which has sought local forest officials’ intervention.
Matters have improved since a team was fanned out to curb tourism in the banned areas, with hotels and resorts under the Nilgiri south division being put under surveillance, sources said.
Full report here Deccan Chronicle
