Hotel in Nahargarh sanctuary to be razed

Aksheev Thakur

New Delhi, July 4

A hotel constructed in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary, 12 km from Jaipur, in 2021 will be brought down by the civic authorities.

The Rs 80-crore property of the Kanha Hotels and Spa Pvt Ltd received the Rajasthan Government’s go-ahead for construction only in August 2023, while it does not have any clearance from the Union Environment Ministry.

The ESZ monitoring committee has now instructed the Jaipur Development Authority to raze the structure after the National Board for Wildlife rejected the proposal of the Kanha Hotels for regularising the construction and expansion of the hotel in the eco-sensitive zone.

The construction of commercial hotels is prohibited within 1 km of the ESZ. The sanctuary houses several endangered species, including striped hyena and jackal.

The eco-sensitive zones are designated areas around the wildlife sanctuaries which provide additional cover to the animals. Only agriculture and eco-tourism activities are permitted within such zones.