E-Paper
Corbett admin to refund ₹1 cr to visitors who could not make it due to Covid-19 curbs
The Corbett Tiger Reserve, which is spread across 1,288 square km, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state. The gates of Corbett open on November 15 every year for six months till mid-June. Corbett witnesses a footfall of around 300,000 tourists every year.
The Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) administration has decided to refund a booking amount of nearly ₹1 crore to tourists, who couldn’t visit the park during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Uttarakhand government has approved the proposal of the CTR administration to refund the booking amount to tourists. As soon as the order is received by CTR, the booking amount will be refunded.
Rahul (who goes by his first name), director CTR said, “Tourists who had made bookings to visit Corbett and couldn’t come due to the Covid-19 pandemic have a right to get their money back. So, we had sent a proposal to the state government for refunding their money. This proposal has been approved by the government.”
He said around ₹1 crore will be refunded to the tourists. “We will start the process after getting the order from the government. The money will be transferred to the accounts of the tourists,” he said
“With this process, along with CTR, tourists will also have confidence and faith in the Uttarakhand government as a whole,” he added
According to officials, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CTR was closed for tourists under the guidelines of the Centre. From May 1, CTR remained closed for day visits and overnight stays. Night stay in Bijrani, Jhirna, Dhela, Girija zones started on October 15 and night stay in Dhikuli zone started from November 15, while Bijrani Zone opened for day visits from October 15. Jhirna and Dhela tourism zones were opened for day visits from June 29.
The Corbett Tiger Reserve, which is spread across 1,288 square km, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state. The gates of Corbett open on November 15 every year for six months till mid-June. Corbett witnesses a footfall of around 300,000 tourists every year. There are 231 tigers inside CTR and 266 are using the reserve according to the latest report on tigers. This is the highest number of tigers across 50 tiger reserves in India.
Corbett National Park remains closed every year from June 15 in the wake of the monsoon season. Forest roads get washed away or flooded in the rainy season and pose a danger to human life therefore it remains closed till October 15. This year it was closed from May 1 due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. But this year in June, the Corbett Tiger Reserve was opened for day visits in the monsoon season for the first time in its history
