Tour operators protest Govind park’s order on visitors limit

Uttarkashi: The tour operators and villagers of the Sankari region, falling within the Govind Wildlife National Park, organised a protest march under the banner of Ravai Jan Ekta Manch in Purola tehsil on Friday, against the forest department's decision to restrict the number of tourists on routes like Kedarkantha and other trekking paths. To mark their protest, villagers kept their shops and hotels in Sankari closed throughout the day.

Meanwhile, in a memorandum submitted to the district administration, protesters demanded the withdrawal of the order limiting the number of visitors in Kedarkantha, Har Ki Doon, Devkyara and other trekking areas. Other demands of the protestors include the establishment of a single-window system for tourist registrations, cancellation of fines issued by the forest department to tour operators, and removal of the deputy director of Govind Wildlife National Park.

Chandramani Rawat, coordinator of Ravai Jan Ekta Manch, said, “Despite being a remote area, there is minimal migration from the Sankari region as most villagers earn their livelihood with dignity through tourism activities. However, the forest department has restricted the number of visitors to 150 per day, which is severely impacting our tourism businesses, our livelihoods and traditional rights.”

“We have decided to raise our voice against this autocracy of park authorities. If our demands are not addressed soon, we will be forced to intensify our protest from January 16,” he added.

Wrestling twist: Protest against the protestors

In January 2023, senior Indian wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik protested against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for sexual harassment. A year later, junior wrestlers held a protest accusing the senior wrestlers of stalling the under-15 and under-20 Nationals. They demanded the lifting of the WFI's suspension and threatened to return their government awards. The junior wrestlers blamed Bajrang, Vinesh, and Sakshi for ruining their careers. The IOA announced the conduct of the Nationals and advised the protesting wrestlers to continue training. Sakshi defended herself against allegations and mentioned threats received by her mother. The WFI has been suspended twice since January 2023.

Forest dept objects to operating flights over protected areas

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Corbett villagers protest against tiger attacks, 23 arrested

23 protesters arrested for trying to shut down Jhirna and Dhela zones of Corbett National Park in protest against frequent tiger attacks. Among those arrested was Prabhat Dhyani from Uttarakhand Parivartan Party (UPPA) who announced a fast unto death. Kishan Sangarsh Samiti and Swayam Sangharsh Samiti led the protests, demanding compensation for victims, injured, crop and cattle losses. The list of demands was sent to the government but discussions were delayed. CrPC Section 144 was imposed in the area.