Lords for Tigers

A jam-packed wooden room full of almost 100 lawyers representing various stakeholders, add a few media people to the scene coupled with a few concerned parties who are running the risk of losing their legitimate source of income, two learned judges seated high on their fancy velvet chair duly attended by white turban clad orderlies & A Nobody (read me) pretty much sums up today’s courtroom scene. Tigers surely are taking care of more people apart from hoteliers, guides, drivers, travel agents, photographers etc

Back to hearing update-NTCA/ Govt. today had a field day handling googlies from learned judges. No wonder why it takes only the supreme court to correct things in our country. The honourable judge seemed more interested in talking about the way ahead, which surely was interesting. The court has now asked the Centre to notify the newly submitted guidelines before the next hearing, which their lawyers agreed to. This means that the guidelines would be notified as it is, experts say that are anti-tourism. Basis this notification, states are empowered to prepare a Tiger Conservation Plan, tailor-made for each state keeping in mind ground-level issues within a stipulated time frame. How effective would these be at ground level, only time will tell…

Let me summarize the entire proceedings the honourable court is not interested in continuing the ban for long & would in all possibility modify the July 24th order of interim ban on tourism on the next date of hearing 16th Oct. Guess if governments had bothered to respond in time, courts would have never taken this extreme step of slapping interim ban. In fact, to my surprise, one of the judges mentioned the issue of the tourism ban & way ahead more than once.  Tiger & tiger Wallas surely can breathe easy in their lord(ships) care.