Rajaji National Park and Tiger Reserve were closed on Thursday evening for the repair and the maintenance of the during the monsoon season. This summer season, the footfall of tourists has crossed 39,000, the figure seeing a rise each passing year since 2015. The footfall had been hit by demonetization in the beginning of the year, but later things picked up, say the officials.
With the opening of Beatles Ashram famed as ‘Chaurasi Kuti’, the number of visitors has phenomenally increased, generating good revenue for the park authorities. For long, the ashram had remained closed to the visitors in the name of conserving the wildlife habitat. In the year 2015-16, 41,000 tourists had come, generating revenue close to the tune of Rs 1 crore to the forest department. Rs 2.5 crores by way of revenue was earned by the park in the last financial year 2016-17. Till date this year, a total of 39,221 tourists visited the park generating a revenue to the tune of Rs 97,97,078. The park officials are elated over the rising number of tourists and this season witnessed a record number of tourists in the Chilla tourist circuit, say the officials.
With the monsoon season approaching, Rajaji tiger reserve has been closed for tourists for the next five months. This means that the wild life lovers would not be able to do safaris since the tracks get washed away and the seasonal rivers criss- crossing the park get into full spate following the onset of the monsoon season hitting the state from 15 June. The five tourist circuits of Rajaji Tiger Reserve — Chilla, Motichur, Ranipur, Mohand and Asarodhi- have been closed for the tourists during the monsoon break.
Speaking to The Pioneer, wild life enthusiast Rajeev Mehta said, “The notification of Rajaji National Park making it the second tiger reserve after Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand in 2015 has been a boost to the tourism sector since tiger is a major attraction for the tourists.”
In the Hathiwala tourist circuit of Ranipur, the forest department earned Rs 3.30 lakhs in the year 2014 while in the year 2015 the revenue went up to Rs 4.86 lakhs. In all, 36 foreigners visited the Ranipur Hathiwala tourist circuit last year. The wild life warden of Rajaji National Park Chilla Range Rajesh Kumar Sharma said, “The tourists influx was badly hit in the year 2013 and the adverse impact lasted till 2014. It picked up in 2015. Things were badly badly hit again in the initial months of 2017 due to demonetisation. later it picked up and we got revenue to the tune of Rs 97 lakhs.”