Similipal National Park in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district was thrown open for public on Wednesday after a gap of one month. The national park remained out of bounds for visitors for one month due to a bandh called by a local outfit.
"The wait is over. We are now open for visitors. Wishing a refreshing and pleasant visit in Similipal," the national park authorities wrote on its website.
Similipal Bikash Parishad, the local outfit working for the development of the area, had launched the bandh for indefinite period to press for fulfillment of their five-point charter of demands. The bandh prompted the authorities to close down the national park.
Repeated discussions of the national park authorities with the protestors had yielded no result.
Subsequently, the officials of the local administration joined the park authorities and held discussion with the locals following which the protest was withdrawn.
Also Read: Fight between two tigers over territory caught on camera at Similipal
It is reminded here that as many as 18 tourists had got stuck at Barehipani Nature Camp in Similipal Sanctuary due to the protest by the locals.
The tourists from Odisha as well as other states could not get out of Similipal after the locals blocked roads and launched the strike in November this year. Later, Jashipur Police rescued the tourists after 16 hours.
The demands of the local outfit included better roads from Kalikaprasad Gates to Gadasimilipal, establishment of mobile towers inside Similipal, a concrete bridge across the main road in the sanctuary, road connectivity to all the villages inside the Similipal under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana(PMGSY) and creation of employment opportunities for unemployed youths of the peripheral areas of the sanctuary.