NGT issues show cause notice to Ministry on tourism activities in Satkosia

Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a show cause notice to the deputy director general of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for the delay in filing a counter affidavit to the petition challenging “ongoing harmful tourism activities” inside Satkosia Tiger Reserve and Satkosia gorge of the Mahanadi “under the garb of eco-tourism.”

Satkosia is one of the largest river gorges of the state having a length of almost 14 miles that runs through the tiger reserve and is a natural habitat for about 500 endangered gharials who use sand banks for laying eggs. The area was declared as a Ramsar Site in 2021.

While hearing the petition on Monday, NGT’s East Zone bench in Kolkata found that the state government had filed an affidavit, but no reply was received from MoEFF&CC which it had sough on March 22. “Today is July 22, 2024, and even after four months, the MoEF&CC has not cared to file its counter-affidavit, even though its stand with regard to the controversy in the present case is most relevant,” the bench of B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member) said.

The bench said on May 10, Dibyendra Narayan Ray, counsel appearing on behalf of MoEF&CC, had again prayed for and was granted four weeks’ time. “More than two months have passed but the MoEF&CC has not cared to file its affidavit. We, therefore, direct the deputy director general of forests at the MoEF&CC’s Integrated Regional Office in Bhubaneswar to be present in virtual mode on next date with his explanation as to why he is not filing counter-affidavit with regard to the issues involved in the present application and why per day cost be not imposed upon him as per provisions of the section 26 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010,” the bench added.

The next hearing has been posted for August 20. The petition said more than 16 cottage tents, seven of them having AC facility with attendant dining huts, set-up during tourist season for eight months from October to May known as ‘Badmul Sand Resort’, in Satkosia area, where bonfires are lighted at night and sand sports are organised along with folk music and dance, were extremely disturbing to the wildlife.