It's Super Sundays at SGNP

On all Sundays between June 12 and August 8, 8,964 two-wheelers entered the park, generating a revenue of Rs3.31 lakh A good monsoon has set the cash counters at Sanjay Gandhi National Park

(SGNP) ringing, with 86,332 tourists visiting the urban forest during the past nine consecutive Sundays, helping generate funds of Rs40.9 lakh. However, forest officials and

environmentalists are concerned that an average of 650 four wheelers have been entering the park on each of these Sundays. According to park the officials, on all Sundays between June 12 to

August 8, a total number of 8,964 two wheelers entered the park generating a revenue of Rs3.31 lakh, while 6,466 four wheelers entered the park, generating a revenue of Rs9.44 lakh. In fact,

naturalists visiting the park on Sundays claimed that the situation has not only become chaotic but also extremely disturbing for the wildlife due to such high number of vehicles plying in

the forest. On Sunday, August 7, the park witnessed the heaviest rush since rains and saw the highest number of tourists (12,101) visiting the park since June 12. Also the total number of

vehicles to enter the park reached a whopping 2,405, which was again a record of sorts for this season and it included 857 four wheelers and 1,548 two wheelers. "Forest officials need

to clamp down on the number of vehicles entering the park as well as unruly tourists who not only drive recklessly at high speeds and even honk incessantly causing a lot of disturbances.

There has to be heavy fine implemented so that the offenders feel the pinch," said Naturalist Krishna Tiwari. Tiwari also added that given the lack of open spaces and green areas,

people flock SGNP in large numbers, also during rains, the park has several water bodies flowing that becomes a major attraction. "It's a forest area, the roads are narrow and high

number of vehicles only create chaos and hence its important that SGNP officials also sensitise visitors to explore the park on foot or buses provided by forest department," he said.

"We want maximum people to visit the park but it's true that vehicles have become a major issue as almost on all Sundays since June, we had to stop entry of vehicles at the gate by

around 2pm, as there were already over 700 vehicles inside," said Range Forest Officer (RFO) Rajendra Pawar in charge of tourism area in SGNP, stating that their staff have been

patrolling inside but given the sheer number of people it becomes difficult for them to manage. As per park officials, the proposed parking area that was supposed to be built near the main

gate of the park, using two-thirds of the existing Krishnagiri Upvan, which will accommodate over 300 vehicles too has been delayed. ON SUNDAYS (FROM JUNE 12 TO AUGUST 7) Number of Tourists:

86,332 Revenue Collected: Rs 36,46,694 Number of Two Wheelers: 8,964 Revenue Collected: Rs3,31,668 Number of Four Wheelers: 6,466 Revenue Collected: Rs9,44,036 Number of Heavy Vehicles: 17

Revenue Collected: Rs3,740 Total number of vehicles: 15,447 Revenue Collected: Rs12,79,444 Total Amount: Rs40,91,150 HIGH NUMBER Highest number of Tourists August 7: 13,029 Highest number of

Two Wheelers August 7: 1,548 Highest number of Four Wheelers July 24: 960