Daltonganj: Betla National Park reopened to tourists on Thursday after its annual 92-day closure during the monsoon breeding season. Chatra MP Kalicharan Singh inaugurated the new tourism season at a function in Betla in the presence of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) North Division deputy director P K Jena.The park remains closed from July to Sept every year, allowing wildlife an undisturbed breeding period while enabling the reserve management to undertake road repairs and infrastructure maintenance.In a statement, the PTR management outlined three key focus areas for the upcoming tourist season: a complete ban on plastic items inside the park, strict prohibition on feeding wildlife, and promotion of tribal cuisine prepared by local women using traditional recipes and locally sourced ingredients.Officials said tourists often feed monkeys and langurs with bananas, cucumbers and packaged snacks, leading to behavioural changes and occasional nuisance incidents. The reserve has warned that feeding wildlife will not be tolerated.The tiger reserve is also promoting community participation through initiatives such as Bagh Didi in the north division and Vanjeevi Didi in the south division, which engage local rural women in conservation-linked activities and tourism.While tourism activities have resumed, PTR continues to grapple with long-pending issues, including the proposed relocation of Hehegara and Chhipadohar railway stations and the decades-old Mandal Dam project.
