At least 28 resorts and large commercial establishments in the Mysuru region of Karnataka, India, are under fire for operating without no-objection certificates or illegally within an eco-sensitive zone.
This region is already rife with man-animal conflicts, making this both an ethical and a safety problem, according to The New Indian Express.
These properties, including government-owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts, are allegedly owned and backed by people with deep pockets — celebrities, senior government officials, and politicians — who have been able to skirt around permissible limits, approvals, planning, and NOCs from the forest and irrigation departments. These businesses are accused of violating wildlife and environmental protection laws, including tiger reserve buffer zone regulations.
The list of illegal establishments was brought to the media's attention by advocates, environmentalists, and farmers under the group Save Kabini, who are seeking immediate action from the government, especially regarding the 13 properties still under construction.
Honnuru Prakash, a farmer leader in the group, pointed out that farmers are arrested for illegally installing power lines to protect their farmland from wildlife. At the same time, money-making resorts are ignored for profit's sake, despite the damage they cause.
"These resorts contaminate rivers and cause noise pollution inside the core area and eco-sensitive zones, leading to increased man-animal conflicts," he told TNIE.
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Advocate V Ravi Kumar, who is heading the campaign, said, "Some resorts are accused of running illegal boat rides and forest safaris using private vehicles in prohibited zones," which is causing more wild animal attacks. "Due to such encroachments and human activities, tigers, elephants, and leopards are driven out of their habitats."
There are already concerning behaviors harming the ecosystem and biodiversity in India. Too much human interaction and encroachment have caused elephants to stray from their habitat into villages and farmland; passengers are smuggling wildlife into and out of India, and a shocking amount of microplastics has been found in the Chagos Marine Protected Area. Not to mention that India has produced over 1.1 billion tons of coal in 2025, rather than leaning toward clean energy.
The Save Kabini campaign group members are demanding immediate suspensions for those officers who were complicit in the negligence.
"The chief minister and forest ministers have said they will act against violations. We urge the government to ensure transparency and fairness in the demolition of these resorts," Kumar said.
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