Melghat, Chikhaldara resort owners cross swords over conservation fee

Nagpur: The Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) has put over a dozen resort and hotel owners in Chikhaldara on notice for default of conservation fee to the tune of Rs30 lakh. This fee has been due for the last eight years.
The 13 resorts issued notices fall in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve. Payment of conservation fee is mandated under the revised guidelines on ecotourism notified by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on October 15, 2012.
Based on these guidelines, the state has also issued a GR on November 9, 2012. The guidelines prescribe conservation fee to be paid by resorts on a per room basis.
As per the rules, homestays operated by locals are exempted from fee while private hotels and resorts having occupancy of 10 rooms or below have to pay Rs500 per month per room while those having more than 10 rooms are charged Rs750 per month.
However, these 13 resort owners have not paid conservation fee since 2012, and were issued notices on August 24, 2020, by Vinod Shivkumar, deputy conservator of forest (DyCF), Gugamal division. This is the third time notices were issued to the hotel owners.
The hotel owners have opposed the move by Melghat. The issue was raised by them at a meeting chaired by minister for women and child development and Amravati’s guardian minister Yashomati Thakur on Monday.
Though Thakur does not agree with the conservation fee, she told TOI, “No final decision has been taken yet. We will see what can be done after discussing the issue with chief minister, his deputy and forest minister. Other issues related to development of Melghat will also be discussed in the meeting.”
Amravati divisional commissioner Piyush Singh, who is also chairman of the local advisory committee (LAC) of tiger reserve, said, “The issue was discussed in LAC meeting on October 19, 2018. Why were the notices issued after two years?”
Singh said, “Though I chaired the LAC meeting, I will have to check entire facts to reconsider the decision to pay conservation fee. Not many members were present in the meeting.”
The LAC meeting minutes of October 2018 clearly state that the chairman had directed the resort owners to pay conservation fee. It also has the list of hotel owners against whom dues are outstanding.
Of the 22 members, the LAC meeting was attended by 17 members and the resort lobby was represented by Vijay Jhunjunwala, owner of Satpuda Resort, who owes Rs10.57 lakh. The minutes clearly state that chairman had directed resort owners to pay conservation fee.
On the contrary, president of Chikhaldara Hotel Owners Association Shreewardhan Karande said, “Our resorts fall under the jurisdiction of Chikhaldara Municipal Council set up in 1948. Most of the resorts came up before the buffer zone was notified. We learnt about the buffer zone only after receipt of notices.”
Karande owes Rs16.21 lakh towards conservation fee. He added, “Charging of conservation fee sounds well for tiger reserves like Pench and Tadoba where tourists come for tiger sightings. Chikhaldara is a hill station where only adventure and nature tourists come for sightseeing. The decision is unjustified.”
MTR field director MS Reddy said, “There is nothing new in this. We are following government orders. Also, money received through conservation fee is used for the welfare of the local communities living in the buffer zone of the park.”