The forest department of Rajasthan is now refusing to refund tickets to the tourists who had booked jungle safaris during the lockdown period. The Chief Wildlife Wardon (CWW) in Rajasthan has recently issued an order stating that the tourists can avail these tickets anytime on a later date, within June 30, 2022, for visiting the national parks and tiger reserves. The tourists can give three tentative dates. The department will allot one of these dates to them for the safari. As per reports, around 28,000 tourists, including nearly 10,000 foreigners had booked tickets worth ₹8 crore for touring wildlife reserves of the state between March 31 and June 30, 2020.
Forest Department Of Rajasthan Refusing To Refund Amount For Tickets Sold During The Lockdown Period
The forest department has notified that the money collected has already been deposited with the state’s treasury. Thus, it is beyond its powers to return the amount now. According to the department, in some other states, the ticket money remains with the forest department. But for the tickets booked for these national parks in Rajasthan, only the finance department can take the refund decision. Thus the forest officials are now requesting the tourists to pay a visit to the wildlife reserves. Tour operators, however, are not in the support of this decision by the forest authorities. They want the money to be refunded instead, given that the situation is uncertain.
Earlier, various airlines in India had also decided to give pre-paid coupons instead of refunds for cancelled flights. Later, some of them agreed to provide full refunds as per the DGCA guidelines.
Also Read: Rajasthan Has Its Own Guidelines For Lockdown
What Else?
A ticket for the forest safari does not just include the entry fee. The amount also incorporates fees of the driver, the guide and other developmental charges. National parks in Rajasthan, like the Ranthambore National Park and Sariska Tiger Reserve, had opened doors on June 8, 2020, after being shut for a period of nearly 76 days, due to the coronavirus lockdown. To combat the spread of the infection, the Ministry of Forests, India had also issued some guidelines that all visitors need to follow at the national parks and wildlife reserves.
Also Read: Rajasthan Has One Of Asia’s Biggest Libraries Housing 9,00,000 Books
If you have a ticket booked for one of these national parks, it’s most likely that you need to plan a trip to Rajasthan before June 2020, lest the ticket money will be a waste. Also, did you know that during the last few months, the number of various wild species has seen a spike in India? Gir Forest in Gujarat is now home to 674 lions, which is 29 percent higher from last year. The tiger population in West Bengal’s Sundarbans recently increased from 88 to 96. On that note, here’s a tour to one of the world’s most gorgeous sandcastle resorts in the heart of Rajasthan, at Mihir Garh: