Forest rest houses will not be rented to tourists in U’khand
The Uttarakhand government will implement the Supreme Court order banning commercial use of forest guest houses in protected areas such as Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park, meaning that rooms in these rest houses cannot be rented out to tourists, officials said on Friday.
The apex court on Thursday had debarred renting of forest rest houses across India for commercial purposes, including for tourism, in guidelines issued in consultation with the central government. The court said the guest houses were meant for camping for forest officials to discharge their duties connected with conservation, protection and management of forests and wildlife and should be used only for that purpose.
“Forest Rest Houses (FRH) or Inspection Bungalows located within the forest area, including the protected areas, shall not be transferred to private and commercial entities in the name of public-private partnership or by whatever name such an arrangement is called, for promotion of any form of tourism including ecotourism,” the guidelines issued by the court said.
A senior Uttarakhand forest officer said, “When SC has banned intervention based on private partnership then even commercial activity done by the forest department will also be deemed illegal in the forest rest houses.”
Several state governments, including that of Uttarakhand, were allowing tourists to rent rooms in FRH. At least three rest houses in Corbett and one in Rajaji were being rented out to tourists.
The Uttarakhand Ecotourism Corporation had plans to use many more forest rest houses to attract tourists as part of two new circuits connecting Rishikesh, Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Haridwar, Tehri, Mussoorie and Kotdwar .
“The SC has given its verdict and we will follow it,” Anup Mallik, managing director of the corporation said, adding, “We will though continue with our plans. Only forest rest houses won’t be a part of it.”