MANDYA: The famed Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Brindavan Gardens have remained closed to tourists for last 15 days with the leopard menace continuing to persist.
Locals allege that the Forest Department has been lax in tracing leopard. Though the forest officials have placed cages at eight locations around KRS and are conduction combing operations, the locals alleged that the search operations are being conducted only for the sake of it.
The anger and disappointment of the villages and Irrigation Department officials alike seem to be directed at Srirangapatna Range Forest Officer Anitha, who is leading the combing operation team, for not responding to their problems.
KRS is one of the most popular tourist spots which generates quite a bit of revenue. However, due to the leopard menace, revenue collection in the form of entry fee and others has dried up. It is believed that the average daily revenue is about is Rs 1 lakh. Tourists, who are being turned away, are returning disappointed.
A leopard and a porcupine were sighted at KRS on Friday night. The antics of the the two wild animals was captured on CCTV in the park’s northern section. But the Forest Department has failed to catch the leopard so far.
Vendors and shop owners near KRS have also been badly hit with no business for the 15 days with the leopard scare creating fear among locals too. Ravi, a vendor near KRS, sharing who shared his agony, said, “We are facing difficulties because the KRS is closed. None of the forest officials have come here”.
An old woman Ningamma, who sells peanuts at Brindavan Garden, says her livelihood has been hit. “What do we do without tourists? How can we lead our lives?” she questioned. “It seems there are several leopards roaming in the garden”, she said.
Reacting to the issue, Pandavapura MLA C S Puttaraju said, “Do they have any sense? The Forest Department should be ashamed of themselves. This is the season for tourists and people come here from across the nation. Instead of catching the leopard and declaring the place safe, they are turning back tourists and have locked up the gates”.
Targeting the government, he said they those in power have no knowledge about developing tourism. “They should see how tourism has been developed even in small countries. Th Disneyland project which our government had conceived, would be a big contribution to the Old Mysuru region and thousands of youths would have got jobs. They junked the project and the curse will not spare them. They have created such a bad situation that youths are jobless. If our government comes to power, we will definitely construct a Disneyland”, he added.