Bhubaneswar, May 7: Nayagarh resident Sukanya Mishra came to visit Ekamra Kanan here with her father and mother after hearing a lot about the garden and its ambience.
She wanted to spend some quality time with her parents in the tranquil gardens, but the man in charge of the ticket counter spoiled the mood. "I read on the official website that entry for senior citizens was free, but the man at the counter charged Rs 25 from each of us. I showed him my parents' ID proof, but he refused to listen," she said.
Sukanya is not the only one who has had to bear the brunt after the authorities of the Regional Plant Resource Centre, popularly called Ekamra Kanan, hiked the entry fee from Rs 10 to Rs 25 without putting it up on the board that indicates the change.
Ekamra Kanan is a major tourist attraction with a rare blend of picturesque views and tranquillity. The centre's botanic garden offers a variety of entertainment and amusement for tourists of all ages. A children's park and the Jagannath Batika are the two other attractions here.
Other visitors also alleged that the man at the ticket counter was not following the rules.
Biraj Mohanty, from Cuttack, came to visit the garden with his friend recently. "This was my third visit to the park in the past four months. During the previous visits, I paid Rs 10 to enter, but now it has been increased to Rs 25. The change was not mentioned on the information board outside. It is highly arbitrary of the authority here," Mohanty said.
Not only that, parking fee for vehicles has also been increased without prior notice.
Visitors complained that parking attendants at the garden were collecting double the amount as fees compared to other tourist places. While parking charges at Nandankanan, Khandagiri and Udaygiri or Dhauli is Rs 10 for two-wheelers and Rs 20 for four-wheelers, the charges at Ekamra Kanan are exactly double, a visitor alleged.
"I have visited many tourist sites, but never had to pay more than Rs 10 to park my two-wheeler. I was surprised to see that the charges here are Rs 20 for the same," said Acharya Vihar resident Akash Mallik.
"I argued with the parking operator, but he asked me to leave if I couldn't pay. I have lodged a complaint with the garden authority," he said.
H.S. Upadhyaya, chief engineer of the garden, said they had hiked the entry fee and updated the information on the website recently. "After a detailed discussion, we took the decision to hike the fee a month ago. We will update the information for the public on the signboard and other places," said Upadhyaya.
On the parking issue, Upadhyaya said a private contractor managed the service. "We are continuously receiving complaints for the service. Since we haven't decided upon a fixed parking charge, the operator is collecting money according to its fixed amount. We will look into the matter and fix the issue shortly," he said.
