Topslip and parts of Valparai, which fall under the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), Tamil Nadu, are likely to allow visitors in another fortnight. The forest department has earmarked 20 per cent of the core area for community-based Ecotourism as per the Supreme Court of India guidelines and the tourism plan for the reserve has been modified.
All major tourist attractions that are located under the ATR,
including the Topslip elephant camp and various waterfalls and dam sites in Valparai, have been included in the modified plan, which is expected to be ratified at a meeting of the newly-formed 20-member Local Advisory Committee (LAC) soon. Thereafter, the chief wildlife warden would declare reopening parts of the reserve for tourism.
The Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Kerala will also now be open for tourists. Since the only access to Parambikulam was through Topslip, tourists could not enter the Tiger Reserve though it had earmarked the buffer zone to allow tourism.
According to Rajiv Srivastava, Field Director, ATR, the new tourism plan was formulated as per the latest SC directive and strictly in accordance with the notification on tiger conservation issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. "Once the reserve is reopened, there would be active involvement of traditional forest dwellers in conducting tourism. We will ensure community participation in all tourism-related activities and ensure that the benefits of eco-tourism reach the various aborigine communities that live in the periphery of the reserve,'' he added, according to a report by K A Shaji in The Times of India. In ATR, About 40 tribal youths have already been trained in hospitality management and handling visitors.