Sealing of 13 hotels exposes rampant illegal constructions near Corbett park

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 7

The decision of the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board to seal 13 hotels in Ramnagar in close proximity of the Corbett National Park has again brought to the fore rampant construction activities in violation of all norms in the area.

The board’s decision comes after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took exception to continuous pollution in the Kosi. Hotels have come up along the river in the past many years. Most of these hotels do not adhere to pollution control norms. They do not have sewage treatment plants and hence pour their waste directly into the river.

Tiger famous Corbett park has always been a major attraction for eco-tourists from across the country. The economy of Ramnagar and its surrounding areas depends on the Corbett park. This has resulted in a large number of wildlife resorts, hotels and lodges coming up in the close proximity to the park. Most of these hotels have been constructed without approval from the administration and they also flout pollution norms

The Kosi runs parallel to the Dikuli corridor that starts from Ramnagar and goes up to Mohaan covering 18 km. The Dikuli corridor connects the source population of tigers in the Corbett park to the territorial forest division of Ramnagar. As this corridor runs along the Kosi, wild animals use its water to quench their thirst.

Barring a few hotels and resorts that have sewage treatment plants, there are around 100 small budget hotels along the Kosi and they pour all untreated waste directly into the Kosi. There have been little efforts so far to check this practice. Significantly, the flow of the Kosi had reduced substantially in 2003, leading to rising concerns about its well being. There have been time and again allegations that these hotels also flout wildlife conservation norms. They have also been accused of installing fox lights in their backyards towards the Kosi to facilitate visitors in wildlife sighting. 0

Wildlife conservationist Dr AK Singh says pollution in the Kosi is a matter of concern and needs to be checked. Polluted water is neither good for animals nor for humans and sustained efforts must be made to check hotels and resorts do not release untreated sewage into the Kosi.