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Neelakurinji: special facilities for visitors

K.S. Sudhi

Kochi: Nearly four lakh visitors reaching one of the most eco-sensitive regions within a span of three months! The prospects of handling such a huge number of visitors during a short span of time may be nightmare of any wildlife managers. But it is the reality the wildlife managers of Munnar are facing.

Munnar being the place where the Neelakurinjis bloom gregariously, any effective visitor-management system would translate into a conservation step for the plant species, which is being considered as an extremely endangered species.

With the blooming season to begin in August, the officials of the State Forest and Wildlife are busy giving final touches to the visitor management programmes. The facilities that would be in place for the visitors include e-ticketing and special travel arrangements.

You can book the tickets to the Eravikulam National Park through e-booking and even buy them at Munnar and one need not stand in queue outside the park for obtaining tickets.

Special travel facilities for taking visitors to the park is also in the offing during this blooming season. The travel arrangements would be announced soon, according to Wildlife authorities.

The wildlife managers have appealed to the visitors to strictly abide by the guidelines laid down by the authorities while visiting the park.

Enjoy the enchanting beauty of the Kurinji flowers and let others also enjoy, advise the wildlife officials. Leave the plants and the flowers in its natural environment so that they can survive and more people can witness the floral magic of Nature.

The Kurinji plants will not grow in any environment other than that of the high altitude areas where they are naturally found. So do not pluck them. Any such act may even put you behind bars, they caution.

Use the public transport system to the maximum possible level, as it would reduce the number of vehicles reaching the park and also cut down the pollution.

Do not take plastic to Munnar, as it will affect the fragile ecosystem of the place, caution the authorities.

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