Telangana: Vehicles passing through Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary to now pay EMC charges

Forest department already started collecting the amount from December 14 this year following the permission given by PCCF and FAC

Mulugu: It is now mandatory for the tourists and non-locals travelling in the vehicles to pay environment maintenance charges (EMC) while passing through the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary in the district.

While Rs 200 are charged per heavy motor vehicle (HMV), Rs 50 are charged per light motor vehicle (LMV) and Rs 20 per two-wheeler on the Pasra and Eturnagaram road which runs 30 km under the wildlife sanctuary limits.

The forest department already started collecting the amount from December 14 this year following the permission given by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), and Chief Wildlife Warden ( ) Rakesh Mohan Dobriyal.

When contacted over phone, Mulugu District Forest Officer (DFO) Kishta Goud said that they had been collecting the EMCs as the tourists were littering several places under the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary without thinking of protecting the environs and health of the wild animals.

“The litter and garbage being accumulated on the road sides is posing a grave threat to the lives of the animals in the wild. Plastic bags containing food also are thrown by the tourists on the road. We are forced to remove this garbage regularly to see that there would be no harm to the animals. In view of this, we have decided to start collecting the charges to meet the expenditure on the manpower involved in cleaning the roads,” he said.

However, government vehicles, vehicles of state government owned corporations and TSRTC buses were exempted from the charges.

When asked whether they would also collect the charges from the pilgrims visiting Medaram Sammakka-Sarakka jatara, the DFO said that the vehicles going to Medaram from Warangal generally take the route of Pasra and they would not pass through the road in the wildlife sanctuary.

On the other hand, the forest department has also decided to collect the parking fee for the vehicles at the tourist spots located in the forest areas in the district.