Gorumara National Park declared green zone area

SNS | 14 October, 2016: The state forest department has declared Gorumara National Park as a green zone area, thereby imposing a total ban on use of plastic carry bags in the area under the jurisdiction of the national park.

Visitors and tourists have been asked not to use plastics bags inside the national park area and forest department has made it mandatory for all the tourists to carry eco-friendly bags, preferably made of jute, to carry any waste. The price has been fixed at Rs.100 per piece.

However, tourists can return the bags from where they have collected them and will get a refund of Rs.70. The visitors have to pay Rs.30 to maintain the greenery. The forest department has made available naturepro bags made of jute at the ticket counters at the Lataguri nature interpretation centre. “Use of plastic bags in the jungle area is banned from long back. We have declared Gorumara National Park as a green zone area from October 1. Tourists are being asked to take jute bags along with their entry passes from Lataguri Nature interpretation centre (NIC). “We hope for good response from all corners,” said DFO Nisha Goswam of Gorumara division in Jalpaiguri district. “Tourists are very happy with the green circular. The jute carrybags will be a great help. Nominal sum of Rs.30 is an acceptable charge.”

Prokash Das, a pharmacist in a government animal hospital at Kharagpur, a regular visitor of Gorumara National Park, said, “We really appreciate the forest department’s initiative.”