Corbett National Park

Cameras and drones originally planted in Corbett National Park for conservation activities, such as monitoring animals, are being deliberately misused by local government officials and men to surveil women without consent, a study has found. The study, published in the journal Environment and Planning F, revealed that forest rangers intentionally flew drones over local women to scare them and prevent them from collecting natural resources, despite their legal entitlement to do so. A total of 270 residents around the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, including women, were interviewed over 14 months by researchers from the University of Cambridge, UK. "We argue that the use of digital technologies for forest governance, such as camera traps and drones, tends to transform these forests into masculinised spaces that extend the patriarchal gaze of society into the forest," the authors wrote in the study. Researcher and lead author Trishant Simlai reported that the women, who had ...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on former Uttarakhand forest minister and Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat and ex-divisional forest officer Kishan Chand for allowing illegal construction and felling of trees in the Corbett tiger reserve. This is a case where bureaucrats and politicians have thrown public trust doctrine in the waste bin, said a bench headed by Justice B R Gavai. The apex court directed the CBI, which is already probing the case, to file its status report in the matter within three months. "They (Rawat and Chand) have in blatant disregard of the law and for commercial purposes indulged in mass felling of trees to construct buildings in the pretext of promotion of tourism," the bench said. The top court said it was amazed at the audacity of Rawat and Chand in giving statutory provisions a total go by. It also formed a committee to look into whether tiger safaris can be permitted in buffer or fringe areas of national parks in the country. The Enforc

The SC has asked the CBI to submit a status report on the matter in three months

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday directed the CBI to probe large-scale felling of trees and illegal constructions carried out in Uttarakhand's Corbett Tiger Reserve. The order was delivered by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Alok Kumar Verma who said a copy of the order should also be sent to Director CBI, New Delhi for compliance. Citing the outcome of various enquiries conducted into the irregularities and field inspections which indicated the involvement of highly placed forest officials, the court in its 16-page order said it cannot remain a "mere bystander or spectator". "... the material on record, does disclose a prima facie case calling for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Therefore the present matter is referred to the CBI for proper and uninfluenced investigation in accordance with law," the court said. It also asked all authorities in the state to cooperate with the probe agency in conducting fair ...

As part of its drive to protect wildlife, UP government is planning to upgrade Amangarh tiger reserve, located adjacent to Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, and name it 'New Jim Corbett'

A vigilance probe has been ordered into the alleged role of officials in the illegal constructions carried out in the buffer zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve, a forest official said here on Wednesday. The vigilance probe into the matter has been ordered on the recommendation of a fact finding team of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said the official on the condition of anonymity. The team had visited the Pakhro and Morghatti zones of CTR and found that construction of several buildings and a water body had been carried out there without the consent of competent authorities. In a letter to Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden J S Suhag on October 22, the NTCA had asked him to act against the erring officials. Chief Conservator of Forest Sanjeev Chaturvedi who was appointed inquiry officer by Head of Forest Force Rajiv Bhartari has withdrawn from the probe.

Jim Corbett National Park Director Rahul confirmed this but declined to comment further.

How a village clean-up programme by an NGO gave a facelift to the area in and around Jim Corbett National Park

In the magical world of Corbett, author meets rare birds and elephants. But will she spot the elusive tiger?