Entry fees of Sanctuaries and Zoos will in Goa to be rationalized soon says Goa Govt.

Entry fees of Sanctuaries and Zoos will in Goa to be rationalized soon says Goa Govt.

Dated: June 13,2012

Goa government has decided to rationalist the entry fee in all its wildlife sanctuaries and the only zoo, that are visited by approximately 1.5 lakh tourists annually. Even a formal notification in this regard is still awaited, forest officials claim that after the fee rationalization, there would be an addition of Rs 40 lakh in the existing revenue collection, which is in the range of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 60 lakh. The state has has six wildlife sanctuaries including a national park and a mini-zoo at Bondla, which is getting a facelift through funds provided by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

A senior forest department official stated that even though the fee rationalization was recommended way back in 2009, the proposal had got delayed. “Finally, the notification will be issued within the next couple of days,” he said. The draft notification, copy of which is available with PTI, mentions that the entry fee to Cotigao wildlife sanctuary, located on the southern-most border of the state, will be hiked from the existing Rs 5 to Rs 20 per person. Similarly, the fee to mini-zoo within Bondla wildlife sanctuary has also been increased from Rs 5 to Rs 20. The zoo is located 60 kms away from Panaji near Sattari taluka. On the other hand, Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, situated across River Mandovi in Chorao island near Panaji, will have 50 per cent reduction in the entry fee. The draft notification reads that the per head fee would be reduced from Rs 50 to Rs 25. The fee for Mollem national park has been retained at the existing Rs 20 per person. But the children, who were not charged here earlier, will now have to pay Rs 10 per head to enter the sanctuary area.

SRC: http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/goa-govt-to-rationalise-entry-fees-to-sanctuaries-and-zoo/1011055.html