Corbett National Park: Apex Court Halts Construction of Tiger Safari in Dhela

News Update: The proposed Tiger Safari in Dhela will no longer be built after the Supreme Court’s decision to ban new construction works in the Corbett Park area. The Pakhro Tiger Safari of Kalagarh Tiger Reserve Park case was investigated by the Central Empowered Committee (CIC) of the Supreme Court. In the investigation regarding Tiger Safari, it became clear that illegal construction work was done and trees were cut. Now the Supreme Court has banned any new construction work in Corbett.

Since, apart from Pakhro, Tiger Safari was also to be built in Dhela. But after the decision of the court, the tiger safari to be built in Dhela has also been stopped. Diganth Nayak, Deputy Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, told that the Supreme Court has banned the construction works of Tiger Safari, Zoo etc. The full details of the Supreme Court’s order are not yet available. Something can be said only after getting the copy of the order.

Nature will restore itself

Environmentalists say that thousands of trees were cut in Pakhro have caused damage to the environment. Environmentalist Anil Joshi said that nature should be left on its own. Nature will restore itself. In the places where trees have been cut, trees will grow on their own in the coming time. He said that it is difficult to compensate for the loss caused to nature by felling of trees. This episode has affected the image of Corbett.

Matter of Pakhro

In July 2021, the Prime Minister’s dream project Tiger Safari was being constructed in the Pakhro range of KTR Forest Division of Corbett Tiger Reserve Park, about 30 km from Kotdwar. 12 bridges were constructed without permission in Pakhro of Kalagarh Tiger Reserve of Corbett, while many trees were also cut. A complaint was made by an advocate of Kalagarh in the High Court.  On September 28, a three-member team of NTCA inspected Pakhro and Morghatti via Ramnagar, Kalagarh to investigate complaints of cutting of trees and construction of bridges in excess of the permitted number for the construction of Tiger Safari. On November 2021, the Forest Department along with Lav-Lashkar and JCB demolished four residential buildings under construction in the Morghatti Forest Rest House complex of KTR.

More than six thousand trees were cut, former DFO Kishan Chandra and Ranger sent to jail

In the Pakhro range of Corbett Park, for Tiger Safari, more than six thousand trees were cut without permission and construction work was done. The situation became clear in the report of Forest Survey of India (FSI). In the report, a case of embezzlement came to the fore in the name of the scheme of Tiger Safari in Pakhro range of Corbett Park. The investigation of the matter was given to the vigilance of Haldwani sector. Pakharo’s suspended ranger Brij Bihari Sharma and former DFO Kishan Chand were arrested by the vigilance team on the basis of sufficient evidence and both were sent to jail. The Vigilance team is still probing the matter.