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In
late 2005, T.G. Ramesh (tiger is what he is called in Bangalore
circles, an obvious play on his initials; he was the founder of
tech hotshop Bangalore Labs) decided that eco-tourism and wilderness,
not business process outsourcing and technology, would be his
focus, and launched Wilderness Resorts. Initial funding of $10
million (Rs 45 crore) came his way from old friend and iGate CEO
Phaneesh Murthy and brewery-owner H.B. Jairaj, and Ramesh announced
that the company would initially start with three resorts in Karnataka
(the chain is branded Cicada), and expand to over 50 across the
country over five years.
Today, Wilderness has one resort up and running
at Nagarhole, some 250 km south of Bangalore. Its second project,
however, in the 874 sq. km Bandipur Sanctuary, part of the 5,500
sq. km Nilgiris Biosphere (home to 3,300 species of flowering
plants and 100 species of mammals) has run into opposition from
some environmentalists. The biosphere is home to over 6,000 elephants,
"the single largest concentration of the Asiatic Elephant",
according to R. Sukumar, Chairperson (Centre for Ecological Sciences),
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India's foremost expert
on the animal (he owns around 10 acres of land in the region),
and they wander across its length and breadth, crossing between
India's Eastern and Western Ghats through a corridor.
| ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY |
T.G. RAMESH REPLIES |
| Construction of a
boundary wall will hamper animal movement, especially Asiatic
Elephant movement in the region |
The wall will be
just two feet high with a one-foot foundation and our resort
is beyond the elephant-proof trench |
| Large resorts will
disturb and disorient animals |
We have scaled back
the resort from 50 rooms originally to just 30 rooms |
| The establishment
of the resort will lead to much more pollution with tourists
creating noise and producing large volumes of sewage, which
will harm the fragile ecosystem |
We have put in systems
in place to ensure minimal impact to the surroundings. Our
resorts do not have televisions or even telephones in rooms.
We conduct weekly plastic removal drives on the main road
cutting through the forest |
| Hospitality projects
in the region, however well managed, will lead to problems
over waste disposal, toxicity and noise |
Scientific waste
disposal is planned along with an effluent treatment plant
with recycled water used for irrigation; generators will use
noise prevention enclosures and inorganic waste will be disposed
of scientifically at the Taluk HQ, 30 km away |
| There will be increased
opportunities for human-animal conflict |
We took R. Sukumar
of the Indian Institute of Science to the site and based on
his inputs and advice, we scaled down the project and introduced
tents and huts instead of an all-concrete structure. The solar
electric fence was dropped post that visit |
| Cicada Resorts will
set the precedent for more, potentially dangerous development
in this region |
Our resort will directly
participate and support activities to protect the now-widened
corridor. We will encourage and help set up an elephant monitoring
station in our resort premises |
Cicada's new resort in Bandipur is perilously
close to this corridor, allege some environmentalists. "This
resort is very close to the elephant-proof trench (EPT),"
says Anirudha Mookerjee, Director, Wildlife Trust of India. "Such
resorts... should not be allowed to destroy the viability and
functionality of a crucial corridor," he writes in an essay
titled Right of Passage. Ramesh claims that he is on the right
side of the EPT and at least two km away from the corridor. His
claim is supported by Sukumar. "The issue over elephant crossings
(being obstructed) doesn't arise because he's around two km from
the spot." (He explains that his position is based on the
state of things right now and that he could change his mind if
the population of elephants increases and a broader path is required,
taking it closer to Ramesh's resort). The local District Forest
Officer B. Venkatesh, too, gives Ramesh a clean chit.
If environmentalists are still not happy,
blame it on their justified fear that a successful resort at the
periphery of a sensitive area, could attract other entrepreneurs.
"This will open the floodgates to several more (resort) operators
and damage the fragile eco-system," says Anupama Mohurkar,
a New Delhi-based conservationist. While Ramesh promises to make
his resort as eco-friendly as possible, he insists that he is
in the right because "I am on private land", and because
hospitality ventures with an investment below Rs 50 crore do not
require any environmental clearances. Sukumar buys the argument,
but adds that "for a sustainable future, ecological consciousness
has to prevail over legal reasoning".
| OTHER RESORTS IN THE FIRING LINE OF THE GREENS |
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| Elephant trail: The biosphere
houses some 6,000 elephants |
Country Club Bush Betta, Bandipur
After lying idle for a couple of years, bush Betta, a
60-cottage resort on the edge of the forest, was acquired
by Country Club India in mid-2005 and subjected to a massive
Rs 5 crore overhaul. While the resort may look new and improved,
activists are outraged by weekly bonfires, loud music and
night safaris being conducted by resort managers. The latest
plan to have glam queen Pooja Bedi lead a 50-person safari
has the greens tearing their hair out in despair. "We
will have 50-100 of our members trekking on the hills adjacent
to our property and we have the required clearances,"
says Rajiv Reddy, CMD, Country Club.
Bear Mountain Jungle Resort, Masinagudi
The tranquility of the mudumulai forest was shattered
last year by the sounds of some two dozen Chinese rockets
being set off to celebrate Christmas. "This was right
on the edge of the forest and we had music, lights and crackers
going off ... I managed to speak with senior forest officials
and clamp down on this," says R. Sukumar, Chairperson
(Centre for Ecological Sciences), Indian Institute of Science.
"This is a load of nonsense and we did not have any
fireworks," says David Philip, one of the Partners
in the resort, who alleges that Sukumar owns land adjacent
to his and has been making these charges for a while.
Jungle Lodges and Resorts, Bandipur
Have things got out of control at the state-run JLR in
Bandipur? Guests and environmentalists say that the place
has become a preferred setting for frat parties with day-trippers
making it into an open bar and disco and serious nature
lovers being relegated to the sidelines. "The quality
of the crowd is the biggest problem here since 90 per cent
of them are here for fresh air and not nature," says
Bandipur Range Forest Officer Ramalingu.
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