Satkosia: Shifting Entrance To Baliput Will Hamper Angul's Interest

By SANTOSH MOHANTY

The idea behind shifting of entrance of Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary, from Pampasar in Angul district to Baliput in Cuttack district, will have disastrous consequences on the economy of Angul district. Social activists alleged that this action will adversely affect local businesses in and around Pampasar in Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary. Income sources directly related to tourism In Angul district will also be affected due to diversion of tourist traffic to Cuttack district following the shifting of entrance of the sanctuary from Pampasar to Baliput, the social activists alleged. 

Undermining  Angul Interest:

The economic impact will be huge. Nature lovers and tourists will no loger come to Angul as Pampasar entrance of Satkosia Tiger Reserve will be shut down.This will reduce the importance of Angul district which has been the gateway to Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary since long. Small time traders in Karatapata, Pampasar, Jagannathpur and Tikarpada areas who rely mostly on tourists for their business will incur huge loss facing permanent closure of businesses due to absence of tourists to the area. Closure of Pampasar gate will adversely affect hospitality as well as transport sectors in Angul district that will be crippled throwing a great number of people out of business and livelihood.

The tiger reserve is endowed with endangered species of flora and fauna and widely acclaimed as one of the finest biodiversity regions in the country which is rich in nature's bounty. Closure of the age-old entry point of Satkosia at Pampasar will also impact on conservation of biodiversity in Angul wildlife division due to administrative incoherence between two districts. Local environmentalists maintained shifting of the main gate to Baliput in Cuttack district will be an act of underestimating the role of local communities in Satkosia region in Angul district who have tried their best to preserve the biodiversity of Satkosia Tiger Reserve since long. Villagers in Satkosia in Angul district have taken a number of initiatives through their communities to save the ecosystem in the sanctuary. Closure of the gateway at Pampasar will alienate local people as stakeholders from conservation activities. This will spell doom for community-driven endeavours to protect the biodiversity in Satkosia. 

Sources said that efforts are underway to construct a bridge over the gorge connecting Narsinghpur-Baliput road to Badmul for facilitating safari trekking in Satkosia. Although this proposed bridge project has evoked widespread protests from different quarters since it lacked concurrence from National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the top brasses of wildlife wing in Odisha have been trying their best get through the project at any cost.

Environmentalists like Biswajit Mohanty has alleged that the bridge will be harmful to Satkosia Gorge and disturb the natural habitat of Gharial and other aquatic species. Heavy dose of tourism is always harmful for conservation of nature any where in the world including Satkosia, environmentalists opined. The Tiger Reserve which came into being in 1976 spreads over 988 sqkm in Angul, Cuttack, Boudh and Nayagarh districts in Odisha. The sanctuary is a home to a number of elephants and other endangered species including Gharials.