Simlipal likely to reopen on Nov 15

Baripada, Nov 3 : The Simlipal park, a unique genetic treasury of the wild, is likely to reopen the tourism zone of the reserve for the tourist from November 15.

The delay in the reapairs and restoration of the road network damaged during the monsoon showers due to funds crunch, has delayed the opening of the park for the tourists.

Simlipal Tiger Reserve(STR) Field Director H S Upadhaya said all efforts are being made to accelerate the repair work, adding that ''we hope to complete the job before November.'' The Field Director said initially some restrictions on the movements of tourists inside the tourism zone would be imposed and the day tourists would be allowed to enter into the reserve in the morning, stay inside the reserve till the sun sets in the west and quit the reserve before evening.

The STR has its own tourist-friendly accommodation at Gudgudia and in the ''Ramtirtha tourists' complex at Jashipur where the tourists could make night halts and repeat their visits into the reserve's tourism zone the next day.

Referring to the success in tiger tourism in Simlipal, the Field Director said that the reserve achieved an all time record both in the inflow of tourists and in revenue earned from tourism during 2008-09.

At least, 20,743 tourists visited the reserve during 2008-09 and an all time high revenue of Rs 26,98,952 was earned from tourism, the Field Director said.

The achievement, he said could be still better, if we were not forced to close the tourism zone two-and-half-a-month before the monsoon due to the Maoists rampage in March 2009.

--UNI

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