MoEF rejects UP proposal of lion safari guest house

The forest department, in its new request, has claimed that scientists from Dehradun-based Indian Wildlife Institute of India and Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, besides government officials, will be visiting the safari frequently and therefore a guest house would be required. The department has also given an undertaking that trees will not be felled while constructing the guest house.

The proposed double-storeyed guest house was to come up within 50 metre of the lion safari.

The proposal was sent by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who heads the state’s forest department, and had sought permission to construct a VVIP guest house at the cost of Rs 904.06 lakh near the lion safari over an area of 0.9503 hectares. The proposed guest house had provisions for four rest rooms,  garages, a pond and a watch tower, besides other things.

But the MoEF, on November 27 last year, said there are already three guest houses in Etawah — one at Raja Sumer’s fort, hardly one kilometre from the safari; another at a distance of two kilometres; and the third in Chakarnagar, nearly 35 kilometres away. It also contended that since the proposed guest house is not part of the safari, it has not been approved by the Central Zoo Authority. The proposal has been rejected on merit, claims the ministry.

At present, work on lion safari project is being carried out on war footing by the SP government, with January 31 being the deadline.

Faisal Fareed