Guwahati: The Assam govt has begun preparing a comprehensive roadmap to reshape tourism and conservation at Kaziranga National Park, seeking stakeholder inputs to boost visitor infrastructure, increase tourism revenue and strengthen wildlife protection ahead of the next tourist season.Forest minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, who chaired a consultation with tourism operators, local stakeholders and forest officials at Kohora on Saturday, asked stakeholders to submit written suggestions within 10 days. The govt will then finalise an action plan for the Unesco World Heritage Site.“I will return to Kaziranga after that to review the recommendations and finalise our roadmap for the coming tourism season,” Mallabaruah said.The park opens every year in Oct and remains open till May. The best time to visit the park is from Nov to April. During the monsoon season the park gets flooded and is closed to visitors, usually from June to Sept.
Forest minister Jayanta Mallabaruah addressing stakeholders
The proposed roadmap seeks to improve tourist amenities, upgrade facilities for temporary forest workers, strengthen wildlife protection and enhance coordination between the forest and tourism departments while ensuring that conservation remains the priority.Signalling a shift towards making Kaziranga a stronger tourism economy, the minister said, “The govt would explore ways to increase tourism revenue through better hospitality infrastructure and visitor facilities without compromising the park’s ecological integrity.”He said the core areas of Kaziranga cannot remain open throughout the year because of the annual flood cycle and wildlife requirements, but the govt would examine options to promote tourism-related activities during the off-season to support hotels, guides and other tourism-dependent livelihoods.On forest governance, Mallabaruah said the department has introduced a fully online system for issuing transit permits, including brown transit permits for transportation of sand and gravel, allowing digital payments and reducing human interface.He said CCTV cameras and body-worn cameras would be introduced at interstate forest check gates to improve transparency and curb illegal activities.The minister reiterated the govt’s tough stand against forest encroachment, saying strict vigil has been maintained in vulnerable areas, including along the Assam-Bhutan border, and warned that destruction of forests under the pretext of boundary disputes would not be tolerated.The consultation is part of the govt’s broader effort to integrate conservation, tourism and community livelihoods into a long-term management strategy for Kaziranga, which remains Assam’s biggest wildlife tourism destination.
