E-Paper
Corbett’s Bijrani, Garjiya zones reopen for jungle safari
The Bijrani and Garjiya zones of Corbett Tiger Reserve in Nainital district were closed due to the monsoon season.
The Bijrani and Garjiya zones of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) in Ramnagar area of Uttarakhand’s Nainital district reopened for jungle safari on Sunday. Thirty Gypsies in each zone were sent after the flag-off ceremony in the morning. Dhikala zone will reopen on November 15 as per schedule, said forest officials.
“Bijrani and Garjiya zones reopened today for jungle safari. These zones were closed due to the monsoon season. We received an overwhelming response on the very first day itself,” said Dheeraj Pandey, director, CTR.
A flag-off ceremony was held at 6am on Sunday at the Bijrani gate. Pandey flagged off the Gypsies. After distributing the sweets, the Gypsy operators started the Jungle safari.
Dhela and Jhirna zones were already opened for day visits. Dhikala, Bijrani, Garjiya and other zones were closed due to the rainy season. During monsoon season, jungle roads of these zones get washed away and as such they need to be repaired for the new season, said forest officials.
Gypsies were sent in two phases, one fleet in the morning and another in the afternoon. Tourists not only enjoyed the day visit but also captured nature and its flora-fauna on their mobile phones, said officials.
Pandey said, “Dhikala zone will reopen on November 15. We have launched a new website for bookings in CTR. Bookings of day safari and night stay in CTR by the new website is easier than the previous website.”
Tour operators, gypsy drivers, guides and other traders linked with CTR hailed the reopening as they don’t find business during the closure of day safari. They are based particularly on CTR tourism. According to reserve officials, 360 gypsies are registered with the reserve administration, which are sent for safari on prior booking of the tourists.
Madan Joshi, a tour operator and social activist of Ramnagar said, “The reopening of Bijrani and Garjiya zone have brought smiles on the faces of tour operators, drivers, guides even hoteliers.”
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. Uttarakhand has reported the third highest tiger population in the country with 560 tigers, while Corbett Tiger Reserve has reported the highest tiger population with 260 tigers among the country’s 53 tiger reserves. Corbett 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 danger to human life, therefore it remains closed till October 15.
