NAGPUR: Entry to private vehicles from
Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary's Paoni gate has been banned and tourists will now have to hire registered Gypsies only. The ban has come into force from Saturday.
With private vehicle ban, a safari will cost Rs3,420 from Paoni gate, which is at par with
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). High-end tourism in Umred-Karhandla has already hit tourism hard from Gothangaon and Karhandla gates of the park. On Saturday, only four vehicles showed up at Gothangaon.
The Rs3,420 safari cost includes Rs2,000 for gypsy, Rs480 (Rs80 per person entry), Rs440 vehicle, Rs100 offline fee, Rs300 for guide and Rs100 towards camera.
"At Paoni gate, the tourism boom is due to regular tiger sightings. The tourism has gone tiger-centric. The bubble will burst once these sub-adult cubs disperse in search of new territories," fears Amrut Naik, a regular visitor to Paoni.
"High-end safari rates won't help in the long run but regulating tourism holds key by imposing hefty fine and punitive action," says tourist Pankaj Deshmukh.
The 189 sqkm sanctuary falls in Nagpur and
Bhandara districts. The Paoni gate on Bhandara side is in the limelight for regular sightings of tigress called Rai (T4) and Jai's sibling Jaichand along with their four sub-adult cubs.
Paoni range forest officer (RFO) Dada
Raut admits tourists have been going wild after sighting tigers. "Private vehicle drivers are not disciplined and go too close to the tigers disturbing them. With Gyspies, we will have control over drivers who will always face a ban in case of violations," he said.
Raut adds the gate has a carrying capacity of 26 vehicles (13 each shift). There are only 13 gypsies. "More vehicles are being procured by locals. In exceptional or when Gypsies are not available, private vehicles will be allowed. The private vehicle ban will reflect online after winter session of assembly," he said.
