Belgian tourists fleeced for Jhalana safari, probe begins

Jaipur: A day after foreign tourists from Belgium alleged that they were overcharged by the safari operator at Jhalana Leopard Reserve, the forest department has initiated a probe.
The department has appointed an assistant conservator of forest (ACF) to submit a report after the investigation.
A forest official said, “Any action against the gypsy driver will be taken after investigating the matter,”
As per preliminary reports, the safari operator booked two vehicles for eight tourists charging Rs 5,000 extra than the government rates. However, during the safari, the tourists encountered 8 people in one gypsy.
A source who wished not to be named, said, two types of violations came to fore during this incident.
First as per the norms, the forest staff can send only six people in one vehicle. Many times, vehicles ferry tourists more than the fixed number, violating the rules. Second, the tour operators charged exponentially high rates from the tourists.
He said, “Both the issues should be investigated and senior officials should act on the issues as Jhalana attracts tourists from across the globe and it will give bad repute to the department.”