Gir: Six fined Rs 1.75 L for trespassing into reserved forest area to see lions | Ahmedabad News Update with guwahati assam

Two tourists and four other persons were fined a total of Rs 1.75 lakh for allegedly trespassing into a reserved Gir forest area to watch the Asiatic lions in their natural habitat in the Amreli district, an official said on Sunday.

Of these six persons, three are locals and the fourth is a hotelier who made arrangements for the tourists to watch lions after entering the restricted area of Sarasiya range forest without permission, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Gir East, Rajdeepsinh Zala said. The incident came to light around three weeks back, following which three locals were caught for helping some tourists to enter the reserved forest area illegally, Zala said.

They were fined Rs 25,000 each for the offence of trespassing under provisions of the Indian Forest Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the official said. Following the investigation, three more persons were nabbed and fined a total of Rs 1 lakh for the offence, he said. ‘These tourists entered the forest area with the help of locals to watch lions” the official said.