Senior Citizen Beaten to Death Over Dispute

Ahead of the fireflies' festival to be held between May 17 and June 22, at various locations in Maharashtra, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) instructed the Maharashtra Forest Department and tourism departments to submit a report on the visitor policy for this festival.

- Gayatri Vajpeyee

PUNE:

Ganesh Borhade, a resident of Nashik who is active in wildlife conservation in this area, has recently submitted an application, stating that due to the fireflies festival being held at Kalsubai Wildlife Sanctuary, the protected area faces significant ecological disturbances due to unregulated tourism during the festival, such as artificial lighting from flashlights, mobile phones, and vehicle headlights, which disrupt the fireflies' natural mating behaviour, leading to a decline in their population.

The application further mentioned that the activity is being conducted under eco-tourism and ought to have been governed as per the 'Eco-Tourism Master Plan'.