Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding preservation of Chikmagalur district from the impacts of tourism, 25/09/2019
Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of D. V. Girish Vs Union of India & Others dated 25/09/2019. Two applications related to each other are taken up for hearing by the Tribunal. The first one deals with preservation of Chikmagalur district from the impacts of tourism. The plea was for direction to conduct detailed carrying capacity study to assess the impact of factors such as construction of resorts, new civil structures, availability of water sources to sustain the projected tourist inflow on roads, power lines, soil erosion, diversion of streams, extraction of groundwater, waste generation and handling, road traffic and pollution and evolve a management plan for the district. The applicant had also requested for barring new resorts and tourist infrastructure in notified Eco-sensitive zones of the district and notified buffer zones of the district. The second application dealt with the indiscriminate opening of home stays in Chikmagalur without considering its eco-sensitive nature.
The Tribunal taking into account the larger interest of the environment directed the MoEF&CC and Urban Development Ministry to conduct a study on the impact of tourism on environment on a pan-India basis and come up with a nation wide policy. The Tribunal further said that as the issue is national importance it would be appropriate if the the Principal Bench of the NGT considered the matter.