Ecotourism initiatives at Parambikulam Tiger Reserve near here have resumed after six days with the easing of tension between officials of the Kerala Forest Department and the Public Works Department of Tamil Nadu. The KSRTC has resumed services to the isolated location to which entry is possible only through Pollachi region of Tamil Nadu.
The trouble started on Monday when forest officials denied entry to a team of PWD officials from Chennai, who wanted to inspect Parambikulam, Thoonakkadavu, and Peruvaripallam dams within the reserve which supply drinking and irrigation waters to Coimbatore and Tirupur districts of Tamil Nadu. As per the agreement between the two States, the three dams located in Kerala are maintained by the Tamil Nadu PWD. Situation worsened by evening when Kerala police officials summoned to the location had lathicharged one executive engineer and two assistant engineers of Tamil Nadu PWD.
Tension mounted further on Tuesday when forest officials allegedly blockaded a school bus which carried 20 children of Tamil Nadu PWD officials staying permanently in Parambikulam to educational institutions at Anamalai and Vettaikaranpudur.
Tourists were prevented from entering Parambikulam via Anamalai after political parties in Tamil Nadu started organising road blockades and other protests. Isolated stray incident of violence also affected tourist movement.
The community-based ecotourism at the reserve is the lone source of income for 234 members of six tribal settlements within the reserve. The reserve, which shares its borders with Tamil Nadu’s Anamalai Tiger Reserve, could make rapid strides in ecotourism initiatives and forest management by involving tribespeople. The tribespeople, who were forced to sell their cattle and forgo other means of livelihood after the sanctuary attained a tiger reserve status, are now employed as tourist guides, forest watchers, and assistants in ecotourism initiatives.
