Sasan Gir National Park – Closed doors on tourists this monsoon

As I read before few days ago, Sasan Gir National Park - located at Sasan in Junagadh district, is only home to pure Asiatic lions and attracts a large number of Indian as well as foreign tourists closed for tourists during the monsoon season owing to the breeding of wild cats and conservation efforts being undertaken at the sanctuary.

As per online Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary Divisional Forest Officer Sandeep Kumar Interviews, he said that, “Its (Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary) closing is being done to provide some privacy to wild animals like lions, leopards and birds like peacocks etc during their mating season as the four months of monsoon period are considered the best for their breeding season.”

“Since we supervise the conservation efforts, we want to prevent any disturbance in the conservation activities, which could also be caused by the tourists. So we close the sanctuary,” Kumar said, adding that the park would be closed from June 16 and will reopen only in October after the monsoon season is over.

As per the 2010 census, the total number of lions in Gir sanctuary has risen to 411 from 359 in 2005. With a total area of 1,412 sq km (about 258 sq km for the national park and 1153 sq km for the sanctuary), the park is considered as safe haven for the lions and other species.

“It is also a natural habitat for leopards and antelopes like sambar, spotted deer, blue bull, black buck, and wild boar, jackal, hyena, langoors, porcupine, bear and crocodiles and over 250 species of birds.”

The officer also added that the roads in the park are kachcha and get damaged during monsoon. They need to be repaired before allowing tourists to visit (the park) after its closure period is over, he said.

“Not only that we have to monitor the movement of wild animals during rains and in case of heavy rain in the area, we have to chalk out a rescue plan and taking them to safer places.”

In addition, if big cats fall sick, we have to make arrangements for their treatment and that is why the closure of the park during monsoon season is required.

Girnar Mountain Ropeway - rehabilitate jobless Doliwalahs

The Girnar Mountain Ropeway Project will rehabilitate several people who were earning a living by ferrying devotees to the pilgrim centers on palanquin.

These 70 people will be out of job after the ropeway comes from Bhavnath Taleti to Ambaji temple.

As per Latest S K Nanda Interviews, who is Principal Secretary of Forest and environment, said that, When the project was designed in September 1995, it was found that the life span of these Doliwalahs was not more than 50 years, owing to the laborious task of carrying pilgrims up the 2.3 km stretch which had some 5,000 stairs.

“This job was adversely affecting these 70 people who ferried people on a palanquin.”

"Some would be given shops at the Bhavnath Taleti or at the Ambaji temple for snacks, flowers and other offerings for the temple. Some of them will also be employed as cabin operators by the company which will set up the project."

Forest officials said when the project was finalized, there were 95 such Doliwalahs.

However, their number has dwindled and as per the last reports, there were not more than 70 Doliwalahs who were still in the business.

They added that some might even continue in the business only for the weak and disabled pilgrims who want to visit the Jain temples.

The ropeway will be a straight alignment from Bhavnath Taleti and will end at Ambaji Temple.

However, for those wanting to visit the Jain temples, they will have to go down nearly 2,000 steps from the ropeway station.

Officials said, as per an estimate of 100 devotees only 30 visit Jain temple while the rest only visit Ambaji temple.

Girnar Ropeway Project - design will be made in Austria

After finally getting the Centre's nod, the Girnar Mountain Ropeway Project is going global. With the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) giving a green signal to the original plan, the ropeway project will now be designed in the European country Austria.

While Usha Breco Limited(UBL) will be handling the construction of Girnar Parvat Ropeway, its technical partner company Doppelmayr will be designing the project.

Marred by a series of controversies, the project had been stalled for the past 16 years due to environment concerns. Now after all kind of clearances from the government, construction work on the project will take off in next six months.

About 38 cabins will play on the rope which can carry 1000 people per hour. As per Latest Deepak Kaplish Interviews, who is project incharge, Usha Breco Limited said that, "Design of the Girnar ropeway will be made in Austria and it will be one of India's state of-the-art works of design. We will send our engineer to Austria and discuss the location and undertake the paperwork of ropeway design."

The Girnar Parvat Ropeway project will cost about Rs 100 crore and will be completed in two and half years after the work on the ropeway building begins. This means that Saurashtra and Gujarat will have to wait at least three more years before the project commissions.

Usha Breco Limited (UBL) was established in the year 1969 as a joint venture between Usha Martin Industries Limited, India then the largest wire rope manufacturers in Asia and now the second largest in the world and British Ropeway Engineering Co. Ltd. (BRECO), U.K.

Meanwhile, Doppelmayr Group has production facilities and sales and service locations in over 33 countries of the world and has built more than 14,100 installations in over 83 countries till date. Doppelmayr Italia GmbH was awarded the contract for the construction of the new ropeway on the Mont Blanc.

This is the biggest order so far for the South Tyrolean Company which has its headquarters in Lana. The total order value is of EUR 105 million and now the group will provide its service to the Girnar ropeway as well.