Pench goes Tadoba way, hikes rates, cuts capacity

Nagpur: Tourists visiting parks under Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Maharashtra, will have to shell out more from their pockets from October 1, with the park management resorting to fee hike.
Even as the gate fee has been increased on the lines of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), the vehicle carrying capacity in Pench and Bor tiger reserves have been reduced from 206 earlier to 174 and from 70 to 54, respectively, now.
There is no uniformity in rates. From Monday to Friday, for bookings 120-60 days in advance, Rs 2,000 will be charged while Rs 1,000 will be charged for bookings less than 60 days in advance.
On weekends (120-60 days), Rs 4,000 (Khursapar & Sillari), Rs 3,000 (Bor, Mansinghdeo, Tipeshwar & Karhandla), and Rs 2,500 (Pullar, Paoni & Gothangaon) will be charged. Similarly, for weekends booking below 60 days, Rs 2,000 (Khursapar & Sillari), Rs 1,500 (Kolitmara, Bor, Karhandla & Tipeshwar) and Rs 1,250 (Pullar, Gothangan & Paoni) will be charged.
The guide fee has also been increased from Rs 300 to Rs 350. Canter fee in Sillari and Khursapar has increased from Rs 350 per person to Rs 400. Gypsy will now cost Rs 2,000 from Rs 1,800 earlier. The park will also charge camera fee between Rs 200-500.
The hike was approved by the statutory local advisory committee (LAC) at a meeting held at divisional commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar’s office on Monday. Pench deputy director & member-secretary Amlendu Pathak and other members were present.
Pathak did not divulge the details of carrying capacity and said it will be done once the minutes are approved by the divisional commissioner who is chairman of LAC. On the contrary, Kumar said, “Being the member-secretary, Pathak should spell out details about the meeting. He is the one who will write the minutes.”
According to sources attending the meeting, Pench vehicle carrying capacity in morning and noon shifts at Sillari has been pegged at 64 vehicles ( old figure is 70), Khursapar 48 (60), Chorbahuli 12 (14), Khubala 14 (24) and Kolitmara 14 (20).
There is no change in carrying capacity of 14 vehicles at Mansinghdeo sanctuary’s buffer gate at Surewani. From coming season, new gates at Pench (Paoni) in buffer zone will be opened for tourists by allowing 10 vehicles.
Similarly, in Bor tiger reserve, 36 vehicles will be allowed from Bordharan Gate instead of 40 earlier, followed by 18 vehicles from Adegaon where 30 vehicles entered earlier.
Sources said that though the gate fee has been hiked, carrying capacity in Umred-Karhandla-Paoni (UKPS) and Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuaries have been left untouched. “The change has been affected in tiger reserves where 20% area only has to be kept open for tourism as per NTCA ecotourism guidelines,” they said.
In UKPS, carrying capacity of Gothangaon includes 20 vehicles, Karhandla (40), Pullar (10), and Paoni (24). From Tipeshwar’s Sunna gate, 11 vehicles will enter and Mathni 12.
Stakeholders have decried the hike. Resort owner Nikhil Abhyankar said, “In Pench, footfalls are only seen in Khursapar and to some extent in Sillari. Though tourists are paying through the nose, facilities like toilets have not improved. In parks in Madhya Pradesh, there is uniformity in rates and same set of rules apply to all tiger reserves. Besides, they have better facilities. Increasing fares to curb malpractices is not a solution. There should be proper enforcement.”
“Wildlife and forest are national assets which should be affordable to common man but it seems parks are going beyond the reach of middle class tourists. Every bit of it is being charged,” said MP Pench LAC member Sandeep Singh.