Pirotan faces sea of woes, not to open for tourists soon

Rajkot: Nature lovers wanting to explore the marine biodiversity at the picturesque Pirotan island are in for a disappointment.
While all national parks will open from October 16, the Marine National Park of Jamnagar will continue to remain closed for tourists. Reason: There are no boats to take visitors inside!.
The island famed for corals and other marine life had reopened in January after a gap of five years but the forest department had to shut it within a couple of months due to extreme heat.
It’s not possible to explore the marine park without a boat. Strangely, the forest department is looking to sign an MoU with registered boat owners but they haven’t found one still.
Boat owners are not enthusiastic as visitors are allowed inside only three days in a fortnight when there is low tide. Also, only 100 tourists are given entry per day and the boat owners don’t find it profitable to operate for just six days a month.
Pratik Joshi, range forest officer, Marine National Park said, “We are working on a long-term solution for issues related to boats, online permit issues etc. We will soon allow visitors once we set up the system in place.”
Pirotan island opened on January 26 and closed on March 10 due to heat. Visitors are allowed between sunrise and sunset and no food is allowed to be taken inside.
But it has been grappling with a range of problems. Tourists are left high and dry as there is no food facility inside, making it difficult for them to remain inside for long hours. Moreover, there are no means of communication once inside and mobile networks are not available.
Algal blooms accumulate inside the sea due to high temperature, which forces sea creatures to go deep and not visible. Some creatures also prefer to remain deep to protect themself from heat. Considering these issues, the forest department had suspended issuance of permits from March 10.
The forest department has framed guidelines with certain conditions for regulated visits to the island after discussion with district administration, Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) and Indian Coast Guard. According to the officials, in two months around 800 people visited Pirotan.