Wildlife activists have taken umbrage over the alleged use of heavy earth-moving machines for road works inside Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) tiger reserve in Chamarajanagar district.
This is not only in violation of the conservation guidelines but also contravenes the directions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which has called for least field interventions in core and critical tiger habitats, the activists said.
Speaking on conditions of anonymity, the activists claimed that there was a sharp increase in wildlife poaching across the State but instead of stepping up protection measures only contractor-related activities were being taken up.
The concern over construction works of any kind in forests stem from disturbance caused to the habitat. Already BRT Tiger Reserve is fragmented thanks to coffee estates, existing roads, and tourism infrastructure and continued interference through road construction would add to the habitat fragmentation, activists said.
Pointing to the recent spike in wildlife poaching and report of the appearance of wildlife poaching syndicates from Central India to the neighbouring States, the activists said emphasis should be on stepping up protection measures. BRT tiger reserve already had nearly 395 km of forest roads, which should be utilised for better patrolling, they added.
When contacted, G. Santoshkumar, Deputy Conservator of Forests and director of BRT Tiger Reserve, denied that any new road work had been taken up. He said approach pathways and fire lines were being maintained and in some cases the water holes may have been desilted by the range forest officers.
However, wildlife activists from the region said there were instances of use of machinery in Bylur and Kollegal range of BRT tiger reserve. “Last year too a road was laid in the Punajanur range and after an year, it was overrun by weeds which indicates that some of the works are redundant,” the activists added.
