After the Supreme Court’s strict stance against luxury resorts near wildlife corridors, the wildlife panel of the Environment Ministry has rejected Maharashtra’s proposal to construct a resort in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary, located within a tiger corridor landscape in Chandrapur district.At a recent meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL), a proposal to use 75.47 hectares of non-forest land for setting up the resort was considered.Projects stayedIn 2024, the Supreme Court stayed a major hotel project in the Bhimtal-Mukteshwar region of Uttarakhand after concerns were raised over large-scale tree felling in the Jilling Estate areaIn 2018, it also stayed construction of an ultra-modern housing project, including resorts and a helipad, in the Kumaon Hills of NainitalSeparately, 42 illegal resorts around the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu were sealed on the orders of the Madras High CourtMaharashtra forest officials said although the project did not involve diversion of forest land from a protected area, it falls within the ESZ and an identified wildlife corridor connecting key tiger habitats.The site supports wildlife movement, including that of tigers and leopards, as well as herbivores such as sambar, barking deer and wild boar. The SC-NBWL, chaired by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, was informed that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had not recommended the project, citing its location within a wildlife corridor and recent Supreme Court directions restricting new resorts in such areas.More than 400 illegal structures and resorts currently exist in buffer zones of tiger reserves and national parks across the country. In 2024, the NTCA decided to formalise a policy-based strategy to regulate the proliferation of such resorts.While hearing a batch of petitions filed by hotel and resort owners in the Nilgiris, the Supreme Court said it would favour animal rights.Hotels and resorts in wildlife areas have also been directed to vacate forest land following the Tamil Nadu Government’s notification of elephant corridors in the Sigur Plateau in the Nilgiris.