Courtesy: DHNS:
The State Forest department has scrapped the proposed night safari at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) - an ambitious project of former tourism minister G Janardhan Reddy.
Announcing this at the workshop on mitigation of man-elephant conflict in the State organised by the State Forest Department, B K Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden said that the decision would be intimated to the Supreme Court. “The night safari in Bannerghatta will not come up. We will file an affidavit before the Supreme Court,” he said.
Announcing this at the workshop on mitigation of man-elephant conflict in the State organised by the State Forest Department, B K Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden said that the decision would be intimated to the Supreme Court. “The night safari in Bannerghatta will not come up. We will file an affidavit before the Supreme Court,” he said.
Singh, citing the special leave petition in the Supreme Court by City-based advocate B R Deepak challenging the High Court permitting the safari, said that the decision to withdraw the project was taken in a meeting conducted by the forest minister on October 1, 2011 in connection with issues related to Zoo Authority of Karnataka.
According to the minutes of the meeting made available to presspersons, the Executive Director, BBP, mentioned the increasing movement of elephants in the periphery of this park and the damage caused to several structures. He stated that any additional structure would further fragment the corridor for the movement of wild elephants.
B K Singh had suggested that the stand on night safari be reversed in the interest of animals. The others at the meeting supported the views. It was resolved to delete the night safari proposal from the master plan of BBP.
It may be recalled that the State had decided to give permission for night safari within the premises of Bannerghatta Biological Park, which was part of the expansion programme of the zoo, under a long term master plan of the government. The master plan of the government was approved by the Zoo Authority on December 23, 2009 and March 29, 2010.
According to the minutes of the meeting made available to presspersons, the Executive Director, BBP, mentioned the increasing movement of elephants in the periphery of this park and the damage caused to several structures. He stated that any additional structure would further fragment the corridor for the movement of wild elephants.
B K Singh had suggested that the stand on night safari be reversed in the interest of animals. The others at the meeting supported the views. It was resolved to delete the night safari proposal from the master plan of BBP.
It may be recalled that the State had decided to give permission for night safari within the premises of Bannerghatta Biological Park, which was part of the expansion programme of the zoo, under a long term master plan of the government. The master plan of the government was approved by the Zoo Authority on December 23, 2009 and March 29, 2010.
Deepak had contended that allowing night safari in Bannerghatta will affect wildlife and adversely affect the elephant corridor, considered one of the best elephant corridors in Asia, the petitioner said.
Giving permission to the safari is against the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. If night safari is allowed, it will lead to man-animal conflict. According to the Act, wildlife should not be disturbed by vehicular movement, the petitioner argued. The petition was dismissed by the High Court division bench headed by Justice Manjula Chellur. However following an SLP, the Division Bench of Justices R V Ravindran and A K Patnaik of the Supreme Court, on April 18, 2011, had stayed the High Court order permitting the safari.
