M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Jan 4: Following the closure of parks across Jharkhand in view of the spike in Covid-19 cases, many tourists find themselves stranded in the Betla National Park.
The park has been shut down for the tourists from today, said the Deputy Director (North division) of the Palamu Tiger Reserve Kumar Ashish.
“Our 40 rooms, each having two beds and a 10-bed dormitory, have had occupancy since December 25, 2021. But we have now communicated to our esteemed tourists about the closure of the Betla National Park from today till January 15,” he said.
“We have expressed our regrets for this inconvenience arising out of the health situation in the state,” he added.
He also informed that some tourists have packed up and some are to wait for reasons of their railway reservations etc.
“We can’t ask our tourists to move out. We can only tell them that Betla National Park has shut down,” Ashish said.
Other than the national park, visitors will not be able to visit the Palamu Quila as well.
Field director and chief conservator of forest at PTR Kumar Ashutosh said that the embargo on tourism is also on waterfalls like Lodh Falls, Mirchaiya Falls and Sugga Bandh.
“The eco-development committee there has been instructed to follow the order of the state government,” said the field director.
Sources said there was a huge rush of tourists this winter but with this closure, the economy of the roadside shop keepers, guides and cab drivers etc is set to plummet.
Kumar Ashish in this regard said that many people who used to earn their living by tourism are terribly saddened over the shutdown order as they do not know what is in store for them and for their economy now.
