Updated: October 21, 2020 5:20:22 pm
CM Sonowal said that the reopening of Kaziranga would help revive Assam’s tourism sector (Source: KNTPR)
After being closed for nearly eight months, the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), famous for its one-horned rhinos, was opened to tourists on Wednesday.
The park was officially reopened to visitors at a ceremony held in Mihimukh, Kohora, honored by Assam’s Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday afternoon.
According to a statement from the Office of the Chief Minister, the park was opened for tourists, both domestic and foreign. Addressing the media, CM Sonowal said that the reopening of Kaziranga would help revive Assam’s tourism sector after the COVID-19-induced shutdown. The statement stated that the chief minister also “expressed optimism that unemployed youth in and around Kaziranga would find meaningful employment again through jeep safaris and other tourist activities.”
Of the five national parks in Assam, three have so far opened for the tourist season, including KNPTR. (Source: KNPTR authorities)
Assam’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries are generally closed for five months, coinciding with the annual flood season from late May / June through September; However, this time the parks close earlier, since March, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is the first time in history that the park has been closed for so long,” said P Sivakumar, director of KNPTR, “we closed in March due to the pandemic. Anyway, we are closed from June to September due to flooding. ”This year, the park faced its sixth worst flood since 1988, killing more than 150 animals, including several rhinos and deer.
The park was officially reopened to visitors in a ceremony in Mihimukh, Kohora, honored by Assam’s Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday afternoon (Source: KNPTR authorities)
Authorities said the park will open with a strict Covid-19 protocol: the use of masks, the use of hand sanitizers, as well as a regulated number of jeep safaris at a time, among others. Also, tourists will be screened upon entering.
“We have connected with the local hospital authorities: if someone shows symptoms when examined, they will be referred there for a test,” said Rabindra Sarma, Wildlife Research Officer, KNPTR.
According to a notification from the office of the Divisional Forestry Officer, East Assam Wildlife Division, only some areas of the park will be open for limited visitor access. For now, only jeep safaris in the Kaziranga Range, Kohora and Western Range, Bagori would be open to tourists due to “inclement weather and road conditions” within the park. The date for the opening of the other east mountain ranges will be notified in due course, the order said.
The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) is famous for its one-horned rhinos. (Source: KNPTR authorities)
Sarma said that every vehicle that enters the park will be disinfected. “At the point of entry, there is a station to disinfect the wheels of each vehicle,” he said, “Only four jeep safaris can navigate at a time, and a distance of at least 500 m should be maintained between each jeep throughout the entire weather. The guards have been informed that people cannot come down or assemble. “
Only four people, including the driver and the forest guard, will be able to get into the jeep at a time. “This means that two guests can occupy the jeep at the same time. If they are not accompanied by a forest ranger, it can be three people, ”said Sarma, adding that children under 10 years of age and those over 65 cannot visit the park.
Sivakumar added that the elephant safaris will begin on November 1. “There will be five new tourist destinations this year: two in the Panpur and Biswanath ghat area of the north bank, and three more in the East Assam Wildlife Division: Chirang pahar for trekking, Bandardhubi for jeep safari and Bhomoraguri for river activities. ”, He said, adding that these would also be functional as of November 1.
Sivakumar said the response from tourists so far was “below normal.” “We hope it takes some time,” he said. “The tourist season is usually open from November, we have advanced it a bit thanks to Durga Puja. The first two or three days usually have visits from local tourists. “
Sarma said that many locals, who depend on tourism for their income, had suffered from the park’s prolonged closure. “The park is usually open until May. This year, there were two coups: first, the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Law in December last year, and then the pandemic, “he said.
On Wednesday, CM Sonowal also took a jeep safari through the national park, accompanied by the local Bokakhat MLA and Minister of Agriculture Atul Bora, Minister of Water Resources Keshab Mahanta, Minister of Industry and Commerce Chandra Mohan Patowary, MLA Rituparna Baruah, PCCF (Wildlife) AM Singh, among others.
In addition to KNPTR, the Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve opened on October 2 with a strict Covid-19 protocol, and the Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve will open on November 1.
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