False information

WE WISH to inform you that the news item ?Eateries operating inside Bandhavgarh? published in your paper is false and baseless. Your reporter was told that there were no shops inside the park, but he still chose to publish sensational but false information.

WE WISH to inform you that the news item ‘Eateries operating inside Bandhavgarh’ published in your paper is false and baseless. Your reporter was told that there were no shops inside the park, but he still chose to publish sensational but false information.

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In fact, some small shops vendoring tea, coffee, packed-snacks etc have been started by local villagers outside the Hardiha gate of the park to cater to visitors waiting to see a tiger.

This arrangement has reduced crowding inside the park and has also helped in providing additional livelihood to some people from remote villages. We believe this will strengthen conservation rather than harming it. Your reporter was explained everything but why he chose to ignore the facts is best known to him.

We will appreciate if the correction is published as soon as possible.
Dr H S Pabla
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) MP

Manish Dixit replies
I stand by the story. In the letter, the PCCF (Wildlife) himself acknowledges that some small shops selling tea, coffee and packed-snacks etc have been started by local villagers to cater to visitors waiting for their turn to see the tiger. This only corroborates the facts published in the story.