Kendrapara, April 13 -- Forest officials have called on the District Collector of Kendrapara to take immediate action to demolish six illegal hotels operating inside Bhitarkanika National Park.
These hotels, reportedly violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, are said to be causing significant harm to the park's fragile ecosystem.
Varadaraj Gaonkar, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Rajnagar Mangrove Forest and Wildlife Division, sent an official letter to the District Collector-who also chairs the District Coastal Zone Monitoring Committee (DCZMC)-requesting urgent legal action against the hotel owners.
The hotels in question, which have not received approval from either the DCZMC or the Forest Department, are located...