Regulations to be imposed for temple fair inside Bandipur

Regulations will be in place during the temple fair of Beladakuppe in Bandipur Tiger Rerserve and private vehicles will not be allowed.

This was decided at a meeting of the stakeholders including the local community members and Forest Department officials in Bandipur on Tuesday.

The Beladakuppe Sri Mahadeshwaraswami Temple is located in the Hediyala range of the tiger reserve and the Jathra attracts thousands of people every year.

This is a lingering issue and has raised concern of the activists as apart from the increase in footfall the scale and magnitude of the temple fair was also on the rise. The concern stems from the political support for the jathra and the impact of the footfalls on the wildlife habitat.

Drector of Badipur Reserve Ramesh Kumar who conducted a spot inspection and interacted with the temple trustees, said that no permission will be issued for the use of loudspeakers or generator sets. Besides, private vehicles will not be allowed to ply into the forests and devotees should park their vehicles on the forest periphery from where the Forest Department will drop them at the temple which is 4.5 km from the boundary.

The jathra will be held from November 20 to 23 and the temple will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., said Mr. Ramesh Kumar. He will also submit a report to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) which has sought a report on the fair.

The frequent entry of people in such large numbers into the forest will not only cause disturbance to the habitat and wildlife but will also make wild animals habituated to human presence. This could escalate human-animal conflict in the region, say the activists and hence the concern.