GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday threw open the famed Kaziranga National Park for the tourists’ season of 2020-21.
The jeep safari was started from today in Kohora and Bagori ranges of the national park while other two ranges would be opened from November for the visitors where elephant safari will also be started.
Addressing the media persons on the occasion, the Chief Minister hoped that Assam’s tourism sector would be revived after the COVID-19 induced lockdown with the opening of Kaziranga National Park.
He also expressed optimism that the unemployed youths in and around Kaziranga would find meaningful employment again through jeep safari and other tourism activities.
Referring to one-time financial assistance provided to people engaged in jeep safari by the State government to mitigate economic stress induced by COVID-19 lockdown, Sonowal said that state government would take more such initiatives in future for providing succour to the people engaged in tourism sector.
He also called on the people of the five districts surrounding Kaziranga National Park and the local communities residing in the surrounding areas of the park to extend full hospitality to the visitors coming from outside so that the best picture of State can be presented to the outside world.
The Chief Minister also highlighted achievement of the State government in preventing rhino poaching to a great extend in last four and half years and he thanked the people of the nearby areas for extending their full cooperation in eliminating poaching incidents.
He also called on the people to maintain all COVID-19 protocols in visiting the Kaziranga National Park and other such places of tourists’ interest so that the spread of the pandemic can be contained.
The Chief Minister undertook a jeep safari into the national park accompanied by local MLA of Bokakhat and Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta, Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, MLA Rituparna Baruah, PCCF (Wild Life) AM Singh among others.