A CORRESPONDENT
BOKAKHAT: The Central Kohora Range of Kaziranga National Park has been officially opened for tourists for the 2025–26 tourism season. The entrance gate at Mihimukh was ceremonially opened on Sunday by Assam’s Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, who broke a coconut and cut the ribbon in the presence of Bokakhat MLA and Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Minister Keshab Mahanta, Kaziranga MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, MLAs Darsing Ronghang, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council Executive Member in charge of Tourism Ritesh Enghee, Executive Member Madhurjya Dhekial Phukan, tourists, local residents, Kaziranga Field Director Dr Sonali Ghosh, along with several forest officials, tourism operators, and dignitaries.
With this, jeep and elephant safaris for tourists officially began at the Central Kohora Range from Monday. Forest Minister Patowary, mentioning the record tourist turnout in Kaziranga last year, said that this year too, the park was expected to witness an unprecedented number of visitors. He invited people from across the country and abroad to visit Kaziranga.
Minister Keshab Mahanta remarked that the current environment of Assam had made Kaziranga National Park a major attraction for tourists worldwide.
Earlier in the morning, before the official opening, the ‘Kaziranga Rhino Run’ was organized under the initiative of the Kaziranga National Park authorities and RWTiRP. More than three hundred male and female participants from various states of India took part in the race. After the official opening of the Kohora Range, a new elephant shed was inaugurated at the Mihimukh entrance in memory of Mohanmala, an elephant who had served Kaziranga National Park for many years before passing away recently.
Following this, Forest Minister Chandramohan Patowary launched a five-kilometer-long hill trekking route at Chilimkhua in Karbi Anglong district, adjacent to Kaziranga.
At the same event, Forest Minister Patowary distributed certificates of recognition and training stipends to more than 200 mushroom farmers who participated in a five-day biological mushroom cultivation training organized by the Kaziranga-Hukuma Beel Conservation and Development Committee, with support from Kaziranga National Park and funding from the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC).
Also Read: Assam: Elephant safari to begin in Kaziranga National Park from November 1