Madras High Court asks Forest Department to regulate vehicle movement to temple located inside tiger reserve

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to regulate the movement of vehicles and devotees to the 200-year-old Aadhi Karuvannarayar Bomma Deviyar temple located inside the core area of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve during the three-day Maasi Magam festival in February, and also ensure that existing regulations of the tiger conservation plan are followed strictly. Gangapurwala and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy on Tuesday, Januaury 3, 2024, passed the interim order asking the Conservator of Forests and Field Director of STR to take all steps to regulate the festival to ensure least disturbance to wildlife in the tiger reserve. The norms and regulations in the tiger conservation plan state that devotees are allowed to stay in the temple premises only on the night of the festival; only 100 vehicles per day are allowed during the festival, night patrolling by the Forest Department staff has to be done; firewood collection is not allowed in the reserve forest area; devotees are not allowed to use water from the Moyar river for any purpose and plastic items are not allowed inside the forest. The temple is located inside the forest area falling under the Bhavanisagar Range of the Sathyamangalam Division, and members of Uppiliya Naicker community celebrate the festival every year.