Story/Place-Nagpur,
Vaibhav Ganjapure & Manka Behl,Apr 16, 2011
NAGPUR: The city expressed its unreserved joy at the announcement by Union minister Jairam Ramesh that he was in principal approving the city's demand to be named the tiger capital. MP Vilas Muttemwar, who has been pursuing the tiger tourism concept for the last two years, too expressed joy over Ramesh's nod on Friday to the idea of developing Nagpur as a gateway to tiger land.
"Tourism in Vidarbha is a gold mine waiting to be explored. The rich biodiversity and quick access from Nagpur to a large number of tiger reserves can be transformed into an economic asset, just like the Taj Mahal. A large number of foreign and domestic tourists can be attracted if the tiger gateway is effectively managed and gets the right infrastructure," said Muttemwar.
The senior Congress leader had drawn Ramesh's attention to this in a letter on August 3 2009. Before that, Muttemwar's efforts had led to the then Union tourism minister Ambika Soni sanctioning Rs 37 crore for a mega circuit covering Pench-Ramtek-Khindsi and Nagardhan.
Most of the people said that the Orange City has finally got a status it has deserved for so many years. The TOI initiative in this regard had evoked massive response from citizens. Those who had long aspired for this status were on cloud nine when TOI broke this news to them. Most of them however cautioned that it's just the beginning and there's a long way to go before the city actually becomes the Gateway to Tigerland.
"Now, the focus should be on infrastructure development in the city and on the tiger sanctuaries. We should expedite setting up of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for better conservation of the majestic beast. A national-level conference on tigers should be immediately convened in the city, where Ramesh should be invited as chief guest," Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) Council president Vilas Kale said.
Endorsing his views, nature lover Anuradha Paul said tourism should be properly monitored and controlled. "I think local communities like villagers and tribals living on forest periphery should be involved in the planning process and they should be given jobs on priority."
Wildlife lover Bandu Dhotre stressed that focus should now shift to the tiger's safety and conservation rather than tourism. "Their safety should be the first priority. Also, awareness is needed in villages near forests and proper facilities should be provided to areas where tigers are frequently sighted."
source-source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com
sourced by jimsjungleretreat.com
No comments:
Post a Comment