15% cut in funds for tiger reserves across country
22 May 2020
DEHRADUN:
In what might come as a double whammy for tiger reserves across the
country this year, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has
decided to slash funds by 15% for each state, officials in the know
said.
Already, the prime tiger tourism season from March to June
15 has fallen flat due to the lockdown. Park officials are worried that
conservation efforts would suffer amid alert issued by the Wildlife
Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).
In Uttarakhand, Corbett Tiger
Reserve (CTR) earns about Rs 10.5 crore per annum and Rajaji Tiger
Reserve (RTR) earns around Rs 54 lakh a year from tourism-related
activities. Earnings have taken a dip because of the lockdown for the
otherwise self-sustaining tiger reserves.
Uttarakhand was sanctioned around Rs 25 crore in the previous year by the NTCA, according to officials.
Directors
of Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji Tiger Reserve feel reduced funds
will adversely affect infrastructure-related works in the
reserves.
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