<p>Bengaluru: The Union Environment Ministry has asked the state government to look into a complaint regarding construction of a resort by a company associated with a Congress leader in the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) and buffer zone of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve (BTR), allegedly in violation of the rules and Supreme Court orders.</p>.<p>In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) said an inquiry be taken up into a complaint received from Veeresh G, wildlife conservation activist, Chikkamagalur and Basavaraj Maidur of Ranebennur and enclosed their complaint.</p>.<p>The complaint demanded “immediate action against illegal resort construction by M/s Siddhant and Aratt Projects - Ayatana Chika Magalur LLP and concerned officers facilitating violations in the buffer zone and ESZ of Bhadra Tiger Reserve.”</p>.<p>The complaint said the deputy commissioner, Chikkamagalur issued an illegal order, dated December 10, 2020, for converting 4 acre 35 guntas of land in survey number 58 of Kolagave village of Jagara Hobli in Chikkamagalur taluk for commercial purpose.</p>.<p>“As per the ESZ notification, commercial establishments such as hotels and resorts are prohibited unless approved by the ESZ Monitoring Committee and in accordance with an approved Tourism Master Plan, neither of which exists for the present project,” it said.</p>.<p>The conversion order allegedly goes against the Supreme Court order of 2018 which held that protected areas enjoy a default ESZ of 10 km as well as the order of 2022 which held that draft ESZ holds until the final ESZ is approved.</p>.<p>Senior Congress leader Vinay Karthik, identified as designated partner by an analyst firm, refuted the allegations.</p>.<p>“The draft notification may have been issued but the state government had not accepted it at that time of land conversion. The Supreme Court direction on the draft ESZ came after we got the conversion order and plan sanction,” he said. He, however, did not comment on the apex court order prescribing 10-km default buffer zone in 2018.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the complaint further said that the entire Kolagave village was notified as part of the buffer zone, another protection offered specifically to tiger reserves and strictly monitored by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.</p>.<p>It further said that construction has commenced without mandatory statutory clearances and also blamed the officials for the violations.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Union Environment Ministry has asked the state government to look into a complaint regarding construction of a resort by a company associated with a Congress leader in the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) and buffer zone of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve (BTR), allegedly in violation of the rules and Supreme Court orders.</p>.<p>In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) said an inquiry be taken up into a complaint received from Veeresh G, wildlife conservation activist, Chikkamagalur and Basavaraj Maidur of Ranebennur and enclosed their complaint.</p>.<p>The complaint demanded “immediate action against illegal resort construction by M/s Siddhant and Aratt Projects - Ayatana Chika Magalur LLP and concerned officers facilitating violations in the buffer zone and ESZ of Bhadra Tiger Reserve.”</p>.<p>The complaint said the deputy commissioner, Chikkamagalur issued an illegal order, dated December 10, 2020, for converting 4 acre 35 guntas of land in survey number 58 of Kolagave village of Jagara Hobli in Chikkamagalur taluk for commercial purpose.</p>.<p>“As per the ESZ notification, commercial establishments such as hotels and resorts are prohibited unless approved by the ESZ Monitoring Committee and in accordance with an approved Tourism Master Plan, neither of which exists for the present project,” it said.</p>.<p>The conversion order allegedly goes against the Supreme Court order of 2018 which held that protected areas enjoy a default ESZ of 10 km as well as the order of 2022 which held that draft ESZ holds until the final ESZ is approved.</p>.<p>Senior Congress leader Vinay Karthik, identified as designated partner by an analyst firm, refuted the allegations.</p>.<p>“The draft notification may have been issued but the state government had not accepted it at that time of land conversion. The Supreme Court direction on the draft ESZ came after we got the conversion order and plan sanction,” he said. He, however, did not comment on the apex court order prescribing 10-km default buffer zone in 2018.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the complaint further said that the entire Kolagave village was notified as part of the buffer zone, another protection offered specifically to tiger reserves and strictly monitored by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.</p>.<p>It further said that construction has commenced without mandatory statutory clearances and also blamed the officials for the violations.</p>