When Bhitarkanika National Park re-opens on August 1 after the monsoon break, visitors will have to dump their polythene bags and replace them with paper and cloth bags churned out by the local eco-development committee at the entry points as per a report by Express News Service.

Although a ban on use of polythene in the national park exists, its enforcement has always been a problem in the absence of substitutes. The park authorities have now found a way to deal with it and engaged the Eco Development Committee (EDC) at Gupti to churn out paper and cloth bags. The cost of the paper and cloth bags will be nominal and during entry to the park, visitors will have to buy them and get rid of the polythene bags they carry. All the proceeds from the sale will be ploughed back for manufacture of more eco-friendly bags, Rajnagar Mangrove Division DFO Manoj Mohapatra said.

The EDC which will manufacture the bags has already started operating so that it can meet the demand when the park re-opens. Over 45,000 people throng the national park every year. Keeping in mind the demand, the manufacture of the environment-friendly bags will be scaled up. The bag manufacturing unit by the EDC will be strictly a non-profit enterprise.

Bhitarkanika, home to a diverse species of mangroves and fauna, is closed every year during monsoon to allow nesting of the salt water crocodiles. This year, the park authorities have decided upon a series of measures, besides introduction of the green bags, to regulate tourism.

GUIDES IN BOATS: From August 1, guides will be mandatory for the tourist boats. Every boat will have on board a guide who will be responsible for monitoring the movement of the tourists. The guide will be responsible for the carrying capacity of the boats and decide which areas are to be visited and which ones will remain out of bounds. “During inclement weather, there are pockets where the tourists will not be allowed and it will be decided by the guides,” Mohapatra said. Similarly, the park authorities have come up with pictorials and books on the famous sites which will aid the tourists in planning their trip.