Tiger safari resumption delayed as govt yet to issue guidelines

Mysuru: Even two days after the govt announced resumption of tiger safari at Nagarahole and Bandipur Tiger Reserves, guidelines for those are yet to be released, even as farmer groups stage protests, claiming such safaris serve no purpose except for benefitting corrupt officials.Officials said they were waiting for the govt's instructions on the re-launch of these activities, discontinued from Nov 7 last year. "Safari is likely to resume from Monday if there is demand from the tourists. Currently, enquiries are low, and bookings are expected to remain low for the next few days as uncertainty continues," an official said. Meanwhile, farmer groups have launched an agitation at the gram panchayat level, opposing safari activities in forested areas. On Saturday, group members submitted a memorandum to chief minister Siddaramaiah through their respective gram panchayats. The memorandum claims that these safaris are not beneficial to anyone, except for a few corrupt officials and politicians. It urged the authorities to seek the opinion of the members of Scheduled Tribes and farmers, who, the memorandum claimed, are the real conservators of forests. According to farmer leader Honnur Prakash, a protest will be organised in front of the Regional Commissioner's office on March 1. "We will hold protests in all grama panchayats against the state govt's decision to resume safaris, which will have a huge negative impact on forests, wildlife, and farmers," Prakash said. Guidelines issuedThe office of the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), who is Chief Wildlife Warden, Karnataka, issued guidelines for restarting safari operations in Nagarahole and Bandipur tiger reserves.In Bandipur, each safari will be 2 hours 30 minutes in duration. A total of five hours of safari will be allowed per day. Safaris will be conducted between 6.30am and 9am, and between 3.30pm and 6pm.In Dammanakatte of Nagarahole reserve, each safari will be of 3 hours. A total of six hours of safari will be allowed per day. Safaris will operate between 6.30am and 9.30am, and between 3pm and 6pm.In Nagarahole, each safari ride will be two hours. A total of four hours of safari will be permitted per day. Safaris will be conducted between 7am and 9am, and between 3pm and 5pm.