KAZIRANGA, Sept 10 - The reported move of the State Government to open the Kaziranga National Park from October 1 next has confused a section of forest conservationists here as a massive amount of work related to improvement of basic infrastructure like roads inside the park, especially the tourist road and dressing and clearing of jungles adjacent to the roads and watch towers inside the Kaziranga Park are yet to be completed.
According to highly-placed sources, the State Government is yet to release funds earmarked for repairing of roads, earth filling and clearing during the last financial year. Under the normal circumstances, it takes about 18 to 20 days to clear the roads, and repair it by employing 20-25 labourers in Kaziranga�s Kohora range. Moreover, the damaged portion should be dry before the putting up sand gravel and earth filling on the damaged roads. Given the past experience of park managers, the tourist roads of Kohora range require about Rs 10-12 lakh for their repair only, covering about 26 km. Another Rs 5-6 lakh rupees is required to improve the Central path of Kohora range through which the vehicles ply. Area like Kerosene Tiniali to Mona beel area of Kohora central range of Kaziranga needs more attention in terms of earth filling and sand gravelling and is followed by Mona beel to Ajgar tiniali and then to Vaishamari area. Approximately, -more than Rs 30 lakh is needed in Kohora Central range of Kaziranga National Park for the development of road infrastructure as the majority of roads got damaged by floodwaters recently.
Similarly, in the western range of Bagori, approximately Rs 20-25 lakh is needed for the repair the roads damaged by floods. In the eastern range of Agaratoli, approximately Rs 25 lakh is needed for infrastructure development. So the sooner the government releases the fund , it would be better for park authority of Kaziranga to repair the damaged roads inside the park and open it for tourists quite early during the year 2016- 2017 tourist season. The sources also added that another area of concern is the weather. If there is a medium to heavy rainfall, then it will be difficult for the Kaziranga authority to open the park early.
