Forest officials at Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh have sought a clarification from an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and his wife, who is posted at the Supreme Court, after it was alleged that they had built a hotel/resort in an ecosensitive zone, The Indian Express has learnt.
Panna field director Naresh Kumar Yadav, in an action taken report dated September 9 and submitted to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the Head of Forest Force in Bhopal, stated that during a field visit on September 3 to the premises where the structure is alleged to have come up, a “saw machine” was seized and notices were issued to B Srinivas Kumar, a senior IRS officer posted as Commissioner (Appeals), and Himani Sarad, a Central Public Information Officer at the Supreme Court.
The couple, in their reply to the field director, said that the contentious structure is not a resort but their home, “constructed on residential land duly registered, mutated, diverted and demarcated by revenue authorities”.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Sarad alleged, “I sold my home in Delhi and have no other house. This is intended as my post-retirement home, where I wanted to teach local girl children. The inspection team visited and threatened our staff in our absence. We have filed complaints with the police as they intimidated and threatened our staff while none of us were in Panna. We are facing complete harassment.”
The action-taken report was filed in response to a complaint by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who called for a probe by a Special Investigation Team into the construction.
The report states that “upon receiving information about the construction of a hotel/resort on the site”, forest staff went and seized a saw machine found there. It states that the couple were asked to “present their case within seven days regarding prohibited/regulated activities in the ecosensitive zone”.
The couple, in their reply, stated that “no commercial activity is being carried out at my residence”.
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“The construction was done after submitting panchayat fee/tax and due land conversions from agricultural to residential use by relevant authorities… In case we ever wish to operate a small homestay/farm stay in the future, we will be proceeding only after due permissions, as mandated,” the reply states.
In their response, the couple also flagged alleged high-handedness by the inspection team.
Asked about the seizure of the saw machine, Sarad said, “We owned a wood planer machine that has never been used, plugged in, or installed. It remains in its original, packed condition, which was clearly visible to all inspectors. We explicitly told them we are not using it and have put it up for sale, though no buyers have come forward. It’s important to note that a wood planer is very different from actual wood construction. The inspection team conducted a thorough search and found that no wood has been used in constructing our home.”
“We are building a residence and have paid the panchayat tax. We have converted the land from agricultural to residential status and are only doing organic farming. We have informed the field director and have full faith that they will act according to the law,” she said.
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According to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, ecosensitive zones are 10 km areas “set up around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries as a kind of shock absorber”.
As per the guidelines, mining, setting up saw mills, industries, major hydroelectric projects, and tourism-related activities are prohibited there. Establishment of hotels is strictly regulated and is supposed to follow an approved masterplan, which takes care of habitats and doesn’t restrict the movement of wild animals.
