Welcome Supreme Court’s pause on Mhadei eco-tourism project
Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji: Goa’s environmentalists said that the Supreme Court’s decision to maintain the status quo on the proposed ecotourism project in the Mhadei-Cotigao tiger reserve area is a critical step for the protection of the state’s fragile ecology.
Goa-based environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar described the verdict as “a welcoming decision” that affirms the ecological importance of the Mhadei region.
“We were expecting the same decision since the project plans are detrimental to the ecology, environment and wildlife of the area,” he said, adding that the proposed eco-tourism cottages fall directly in the core tiger habitat, where camera traps have repeatedly captured the presence of the elusive big cat.
Kerkar said that citizen participation played a key role in strengthening the case.
“More than a thousand people signed an online petition we had sent to the authorities concerned before the hearing,” he said, adding, “We will now make additional representations to the Central Empowered Committee to ensure the tiger reserve becomes a reality.”
The Forest Department’s camera trap records have provided evidence of tiger movement in the Mhadei-Cotigao landscape, supporting conservationists’ contention that ecotourism projects in the core habitat could disrupt wildlife corridors.
Veteran RTI and environmental activist Ramesh Gauns also welcomed the Supreme Court’s intervention, calling it “a necessary pause” for Goa’s hydrology and biodiversity. “Unchecked tourism and development have already placed the Western Ghats under immense stress. The court’s insistence on stakeholder hearings ensures that local voices will be heard,” he said.
Gauns cautioned that the region’s climatological sensitivity cannot be ignored. “The Western Ghats have witnessed desertification 121 times. We cannot trade this eco-sensitive area for short-term economic gains,” he said.
He also criticised what he described as “policy hypocrisy” by the state government. “This government seeks World Bank funds for climate change adaptation while opposing a tiger reserve. They must explain to the people why they are objecting to the reserve project,” Gauns added, urging greater accountability.
