The area around Himavad Gopalaswamy Hill in Chamarajanagar district has been declared a tiger reserve. Therefore, even religious activities here are subject to strict regulations. Private vehicles are not allowed to go to the temple. Large gatherings of tourists are also prohibited. Despite this, farmers and environmentalists are expressing outrage, questioning how permission for film shooting was granted.
“Since this morning, film shooting has been taking place in the premises of the Himavad Gopalaswamy Hill temple. During festivals, the Forest Department imposes numerous restrictions on local farmers who wish to visit the hill for worship. So how did the Forest Department grant permission for film shooting?” asked environmentalist Joseph Hoover.
Prabhakar, the director of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve Project, says that no permission was granted from his office. He claims that the permission was given based on instructions from higher authorities. But what is stopping them from saying that film shooting should not be allowed in a tiger reserve? And who exactly are these higher authorities who issued the instructions? If those responsible for protecting the rules are the ones breaking them, then who will protect the forest and wildlife?” Joseph Hoover questioned.
Even during the daytime, elephants, tigers, and leopards roam around the Himavad Gopalaswamy temple. Using generators, loudspeakers, reflective light panels, lights, and large groups of people shouting can harm the delicate ecosystem. Moreover, the noise and air pollution caused by diesel-powered generators operating all day have a severe negative impact on the environment. This disturbs wildlife, disrupting their daily movements.
Given all this, film shooting should not be allowed in a tiger reserve. Now that permission has been granted, other film crews will demand the same in the future. If this continues, how will wildlife conservation be possible? How will these animals move around peacefully?
To stop all this, the Forest Department must identify who the influential figures are who secured permission for the film shooting and take legal action against them, as well as against the director of the tiger reserve project and the director-producer of the film crew.
