Visiting Bhitrakanika National Park in Odisha now costlier

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Kendrapada, Feb 20:

A visit to the Bhitarkanika will now cost double the amount what the visitors used to pay earlier, according to revised fee structure at the National Park in Kendrapada in Odisha.

The entry fee has increased from Rs 20 to Rs 40 for Indian visitors, while foreign tourists will also have to pay the same amount instead of earlier fee of Rs 1,000.

Yesterday, forest officials said that the fees have been hiked after a notification from the state government.

Earlier, while the entry fee was Rs 20 for an individual, while those coming in groups of more than nine had to pay Rs 10 each, the group fee has been hiked to Rs 15 each.

For those interested in photography will have to pay 10 to 40 per cent extra since Friday. For still cameras, domestic visitors used to pay Rs 25. Now, they will pay Rs 50 and foreigners’ fee has been increased to Rs 100. For video, the cost was Rs 500 for domestic visitors and Rs 1000 for international tourists, now the cost has increased by 10 times.

On the first day, the Indian tourists have to pay Rs 5,000 for video recording and Rs 1,000 for each additional day, while a foreign visitor will have to pay just the double.

Professional still camera cost has jumped 40 per cent to Rs 1,000 for domestic tourists and Rs 2,000 for foreigners.

Professional video camera will now cost Rs 15,000 for Indian tourists and Rs 50,000 for foreign visitors.

Similarly, wildlife video will cost Rs 15,000 for Indian visitors while overseas visitors will have to shell out Rs 20,000.