HARIDWAR: Following complaints of violations of the Wildlife Act by commercial establishments near protected areas, a joint team of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) inspected resorts and camping sites near the forest area falling under the reserve forests’s Gohri and Chilla ranges.
Sources said that a majority of resorts, spa centres, camping sites and hotels were found to be violating the Wildlife Act during the inspection. The green tribunal has taken note of the violations and is likely to take action against errant establishments.
According to local activists, several resorts, hotels, spa centres and camping sites have opened in the aforementioned RTR ranges in the past two years. As a result, the tourist footfall has also increased in the region, causing inconvenience for wildlife. In the past, residents of the region have raised the matter with RTR authorities but their complaints largely went unheard. Therefore, locals called upon the NGT to intervene.
