M.P., INDIA - New entry fee in national parks from January

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New entry fee in national parks from January

 

 

By Our Staff Reporter, www.centralchronicle.com

 

 

 

 

 

Friday December

21, 2007

 

 

Bhopal, (MP,

INDIA) Dec 20, 2007: Amending the Wildlife

Conservation Manual, Madhya Pradesh government is going to implement new rates

of entry fee in National Parks in the state from

with effect from January 2008. Besides, the number of vehicles entering the

National Parks is also being reduced in view of increasing pressure of tourism.

According to the amended manual, now the entry free would be at the rate of per

vehicle instead of per person. For facilitating tourists, arrangement has also

been made for advance reservation for entry into National Parks through

Internet on the web site www.mponline.gov.in.

 

 

According to the revised rates, foreign tourists

would have to pay Rs 2000 per vehicle for entry into all the tiger reserve

protected areas while this entry fee would be Rs 500 per vehicle for indigenous

tourists. This fee is applicable for light vehicles of up to eight-passenger

capacity including jeep, car and Gypsy etc. For minibus Indian and foreigner

tourists would have to pay Rs 8000 and Rs 12000 per vehicle having a capacity

from nine to 32 passengers. Likewise, for other protected areas the entry fee

for light vehicles would be Rs 400 for Indian tourists and Rs 1500 for

foreigner tourists while for minibus the Indian tourists would have to pay Rs

1000 and foreigner tourists Rs 12000 per vehicle.

 

 

In view of increasing pressure of tourism on the

national parks and in a bid to control crowding, the state government has

decided to limit the number of vehicles entering the main National Parks

(Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Panna). This number would be decided after

considering the total length of roads in the tourism area of every park,

possibilities of wear and tear of these roads and presence of endangered

species in the tourism area. Less sensitive additional areas have been included

in the tourism zone with a view to decreasing pressure on sensitive areas. In

the sensitive area of Kanha zone in Kanha National Park the number of vehicles

would be limited to 70. In Tala

zone, which is extremely sensitive one, in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, the entry

of vehicles has been limited to only 50 but two additional tourism zones have

been

provided in Kanha and Bandhavgarh so that tourists do not feel disappointed or

inconvenient. Under this system, the number of entry of vehicles has been

limited to 150 in Kanha National

Park, 165 in

Bandhavgarh, 66 in Pench and 70 in Panna. This number is equivalent to or less

than the present pressure of vehicles in the National Parks, but limiting the

number of vehicles would be very effective in future when these national parks

would come under added pressure as more number of visitors and tourists would

be reaching there.

 

 

www.mponline.gov.in. web site has provided the

facility of advance reservation at the national parks through internet. Under

this facility, advance reservation can be had on payment of Rs 50 online

reservation charge (One or more persons) to www.mponline.gov.in/forest. Tourism

fee rates would also be available on this site. This facility would enable the

tourists to chalk out plan to visit a particular National Park keeping in view

availability of vehicle capacity there.

 

 

http://www.centralchronicle.com/20071221/2112022.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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