Kaziranga ready for tourists, to open today

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

Jorhat/KAZIRANGA, Sept 30: Assam’s world-famous Kaziranga tiol Park will begin welcoming tourists from tomorrow and remain open till the end of next April.

State Forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma will formally open the park for tourists at Mihimukh in the park’s Kohora forest range at around 6.15 in the morning.

 State water resource minister Keshab Mahanta is also scheduled to open the park’s Bagori forest range at 7 am after the main gate of the park will be opened by the state forest minister at Mihimukh. A bike rally with a slogan – “We will save rhino” will also be taken out on the highway to mark the opening ceremony of the Unesco’s world heritage site park. The iugural meeting will be held at Eco Development Centre, Kaziranga.  Divisiol Forest Officer (Kaziranga) Subhasis Das said, “Preparations have been completed for Saturday programme. We have got ready 18 government provided elephants at Kohora and 25 private elephants at Bagori forest range for tourists visits.”  He added, “Two ranges- Kohora and Bagori will open for tourists on Saturday. The other two ranges—Agoratoli and Burapahar— will be opened after a few days as the roads in these two ranges are under renovation.”  Kaziranga recorded the highest number of tourists visit in 2014-15 when over 1.3 lakh tourists visited the park including about 8000 from abroad and the park earned more than Rs. 2 crore as revenue.

As per the official record available with the park authorities the number of tourists visiting Kaziranga has been increasing since 2007. In 2006-07 the park earned Rs.79, 80,949 from 574 foreign and 66968 domestic tourists. In 2007-08 it earned Rs.87, 34,185 from 6106 foreign and 53,640 domestic tourists. In 2008-09 the park earned Rs. 61, 10,628 from 5766 foreign and 100384 domestic tourists. In 2009-10 earned Rs12167974 from 5780 foreign and 105264 domestic tourists. In 2011-12 it earned Rs.1.49 crore from 117411 domestic and 7521 foreign visitors while in 2012-13 earned Rs. 2.06 crore from 90,153 domestic and 7263 foreign tourists.