Greens slam forest dept over ‘contradictory' conservation policies

Time of India

16-05-2025

Belagavi: Environmentalists have raised serious concerns over what they describe as the forest department's 'hypocritical' approach to conservation — evicting long-standing forest-dwelling communities under the guise of
wildlife protection
, only to later allow tourism and infrastructure projects in the same ecologically sensitive areas.
The latest flashpoint is the
Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary
(BWS) in Khanapur taluk of Belagavi district, a vital ecological zone in the Western Ghats. The forest department has worked to relocate families from 13 hamlets in the sanctuary for over a decade, citing forest and wildlife conservation as the rationale.
On Saturday, forest minister Eshwar Khandre is scheduled to distribute compensation cheques to 32 families in Talewadi hamlet, marking the first phase of the rehabilitation process.
However, controversy erupted after tourism minister HK Patil recently announced plans for an 18km wildlife safari within the same sanctuary, claiming it would boost tourism in the region. Environmental groups say the move exposes govt's contradictory stance.
"How can govt justify evicting forest dwellers for wildlife protection while simultaneously planning a commercial safari? This is nothing short of hypocrisy," said Ravindra Saini, head of Paryavarani, an environmental NGO.
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Saini also criticised the department's approach when BWS was first declared a sanctuary in 2011. "We recommended including a larger area under protection, but only one-third was notified. Now, instead of strengthening conservation, they're opening it up for tourism," he said.
BWS is home to a diverse range of species including sloth bears, black panthers, tigers, chital, pangolins, king cobras, Indian bison, and critically endangered Wroughton's free-tailed bats.
Environmentalists fear that increased human activity through tourism could disrupt their fragile habitat.
BWS not an isolated case
Conservationists point to similar contradictions in other protected areas across the state:
Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR), Uttara Kannada: Between 2020 and 2025, 498 families were relocated under the banner of wildlife protection. Forest officials publicly claimed success in making KTR "human-free."
Yet, in a seeming policy reversal, the department has since identified 39 trekking routes in areas from which forest dwellers were rehabilitated.
Castle Rock Wildlife Range, Dandeli: In recent years, 58 families were evicted from this part of Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. However, the forest department has now recommended approving the Goa-Tamnar 400 kV transmission line, which cuts through the same area, resulting in the felling of more than 72,000 trees.
A total of 167 hectares has been allocated for the project, including 70 hectares in Belagavi division, 65 in Haliyal, and 32 in Castle Rock, land previously vacated by residents.
Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary (SLTM): The Karnataka State Board for Wildlife (KSBWL) recently cleared the proposal for a 2,000 MW pumped storage power project by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), right in the heart of the sanctuary.
The project will require 352.7 acres, including 133.8 acres of forest land, for building a power station and 7km-long tunnels between Talakalale and Gerusoppa reservoirs.
At the same time, the forest department is processing rehabilitation claims from 28 families in the area.
Environmentalists warn that such policies not only displace vulnerable forest-dwelling communities but also pave the way for commercial exploitation of ecologically critical zones, undermining the very goals of conservation.
"No responsible govt can justify evicting people in the name of wildlife protection and then opening those same spaces for commercial projects. These actions severely damage trust and violate the principles of sustainable development," another environmentalist said on condition of anonymity.