KOLKATA: Construction of a tourist lodge at Sajnekhali in the Sunderbans has evoked sharp reactions from the international community, which has expressed concern over the future of the mangrove forest, a world heritage site. A two-storey structure has been built by the state tourism department within the forest office complex. It was claimed that the building was an extension of the existing tourist lodge that was in bad shape. The new structure, however, has no links with the old one.
Work on the building was called off on July 9 after TOI carried a report on how the tourism department project was coming up within 10 ft of a sweetwater pond frequented by tigers. Environmentalists and conservators, too, raised their voice against the project. Movement of animals would be seriously hindered if the lodge was constructed there, they said.
Such violation of forest protection rules could spell doom for the environment, particularly for tigers, which are under threat not only in the Sunderbans but also around the country, a Unesco report has said.
Seeking an explanation for the violation from the state forest department, Unesco has asked the authorities to ensure that the construction was stopped immediately and that steps were taken to pull down the structure. The forest department will send a report to Unesco within a month.
"This is a serious breach of forest protection rules. No construction is permitted within protected areas like Sajnekhali. More importantly, the Sunderbans being a world heritage site with a fragile eco-system, this could have been dangerous for the environment and the wildlife there. It has also set a bad precedent. Nothing like this has ever happened in Indian forests," said Ram Boojh, programme officer, environment, of Unesco in Delhi.
In a letter to the forest department, the Unesco authorities have called for "corrective steps", including pulling down of the unfinished structure. "No concrete structure like the one that has come up could be permitted in a tiger habitat. So, it has to go," added Boojh.
While the forest department, in an e-mail to Unesco on Thursday, has promised to investigate the matter and prepare a report on the violation "shortly", the latter expects it within a month. "We are giving them a long rope and sufficient time to inquire and find out. We must depend on governments for action. At the moment, we are not planning an independent investigation but not ruling it out either," explained an official.
Meanwhile, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), too, has sought a report on the matter. Like Unesco, NTCA has been informed about the stoppage of work. Asked if the structure was going to be pulled down, NTCA director Rajesh Gopal said a decision would be taken after they received a report from the forest department. "We are happy that the construction work has been stopped. Once we have the report, we will decide on the next course of action," said Gopal.
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