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The Supreme Court on Wednesday condemned the illegal felling of over 6,000 trees to construct buildings, ostensibly for “eco-tourism” at the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, as a “classic case” of nexus between politicians and officials working to ransack the environment for short-term commercial ends.
The present case depicts a sorry state of affairs of human greed devastating one of the most celebrated abodes of tigers i.e. the Corbett Tiger Reserve,” a three-judge Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai observed.
The court also directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to form a specialised committee to study and recommend whether tiger safaris should be permitted in the buffer areas of a tiger reserve.
Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park Established in 1936, it is India's first national park.
Located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state, at the foothills of the Himalaya.
Covers an area of 1318.54 sq km, of which 520 sq km is the core area, and the remaining is buffer.
Named after Jim Corbett, the legendary hunter and naturalist who played a key role in its establishment.
Home to a variety of flora and fauna, including the Royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic elephant, leopard, sloth bear, spotted deer, sambar deer, barking deer, goral, wild boar, rhesus macaque, langur, and over 650 species of birds.
Also has a number of historical and cultural sites within its boundaries, including the Corbett Museum and the Garjia Temple.
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