Raisen (Madhya Pradesh): Forest Minister Vijay Shah inaugurated the safari facility at Ratapani Sanctuary situated in Raisen on Tuesday morning. He took a ride on the safari jeep and looked after various facilities and arrangements. He even offered a safari ride to school children as well.
Speaking to Free Press, District Forest Officer Vijay Kumar said that forest minister Kunwar Vijay Shah inaugurated the safari by showing the green flag. He also enjoyed the safari and gave various valuable suggestions.
Kumar added that the Safari facility has been started from two gates i.e Jhiri gate and Dehlawadi gate. The safari from Jhiri gate will cover a distance of 40 km.
Shedding the light on the safari facility and the area that it will cover, he said that in comparison to safari facilities at various tiger reserves, the safari of Ratapani sanctuary is totally different and unique.
FP Photo
Three stoppages have been made under the safari facility. The first stop is at Keri Mahadev which will offer a scenic look at a valley. The second stoppage is at Ran Bhainsa which will offer sightings of rock paintings dating back to 5000 years back.
“ One rock painting is of life-size Bison and it is mesmerising,” he said. He further said that the safari will also have a stoppage at nearby villages where tourists will be able to see the village life, and culture from close range. Village artists make different kinds of things such as pots. The purchasing done by tourists will boost the local village economy and will generate employment opportunities. Safari will also take tourists to the Ginnaurgarh fort area. There they will be also able to see the Prisoner of War camp where the British army had kept 2000 Prisoners of the second world war. They included jawans of Germany and Italy.
The charge for a safari from the Jhiri gate is Rs 3000 apart from the gate fee of Rs 750. The guide charge is Rs 480. The safari charge from Dehlawadi gate is Rs 2600. Taking a guide is compulsory while taking a safari.
Ratapani sanctuary is home to more than 40 tigers and more than 50 leopards.
