Uttarakhand: Corbett Tiger Reserve To See Noiseless New Year Eve As Administration Bans Loud Music In Hotels, Resorts

The district administration in Nainital has banned hotels and resorts near Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) from playing loud music in open spaces during new year celebrations to ensure no disruption in areas near the reserve, Times of India has reported.

According to the report, those organising parties with music on the night of 31 December in enclosed spaces and halls will also require prior permission from the administration.

“We are working in cooperation with resorts and hotels so that tourists can enjoy without any disturbance to wildlife. Resorts and hotels in Ramnagar have been banned from playing music in open spaces and will need a permit to organise loud parties in closed spaces.” Ramnagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Harigiri Goswami Ramnagar was quoted in the report as saying.

Three teams, including officials from the district administration, state forest department, pollution control board and district police, will patrol the area to ensure that the rules are being followed by the commercial establishments.

An area of 500m near a protected forest is already deemed as a ‘silent zone’ but the new directions will bring a larger area into its ambit on 31 December.

As per the report, the move is likely to affect more than 100 hotels and resorts running in Ramnagar. Some of the hotel owners said that the move will disappoint the tourists who had bought special packages for the last night of the year.

However, the decision is being backed by environmentalists saying that loud music can disturb animals and scare them.