Jorhat, Dec. 28: The tourists to the world-famous Kaziranga National Park may soon have another reason to rejoice — a ropeway.
The Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) is conducting a survey at the national park for setting up the ropeway over a 3-km stretch — from Mihimukh to Kathpara.
Bokakhat sub-divisional officer D.K. Nath said the decision to construct a ropeway in the 340-sq km park was taken jointly by the forest and the tourism departments at a meeting at Kohora last week. Forest and tourism ministers apart from top officials attended the meeting.
“The proposed ropeway will be a feather in the cap for the national park which is visited by thousands of tourists every year,” Nath said. He said the ropeway would facilitate tourists to watch the “denizens” of Kaziranga at their natural habitat without disturbing them. As of now, tourists are allowed to enter the park on elephant back and private vehicles.
“Tourists have to be lucky to get a glance of other animals apart from rhinos and deer while going on elephant and vehicle safaris, but the ropeway will become a dream come true for a visitor to the park,” he said.
Apart from the world-famous one-horned rhinos, the park has a sizeable population of buffaloes, bison, tigers, several species of deer and birds. The last week’s meeting also discussed setting up of overbridges on the National Highway 37 to facilitate animals to cross over, especially during floods.
Speeding vehicles on the national highway often hit animals, which cross the highway during floods to take shelter in Karbi Anglong hills.
The sub-divisional officer said apart from the ropeway, plans are also on to make boating facilities available on a 2-km stretch on the river Dipholoo, which snakes its way through the national park.
Tourists would be able to enjoy the beauty of the national park by taking a boat ride on the river, he said, adding that the work on the boating project had already started and a private party from Biswanath Chariali would start work on the project from January next year.
