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Set for jumbo ‘tusk’

While travelling to Rajasthan, tourists are already spoilt for choices when it comes to pick & choose from myriad attractions at hand. The opening of Hathi Gaon will only embellish the platter making Padharo Maare Des a more tantalizing call. Abhishek Tiwari has the itinerary

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Amber Fort and elephant rides are synonymous with each other. Every visitor coming to Jaipur wants to come to Amber and take an elephant ride. Therefore, to improve the condition of these elephants, their abode ‘Hathi Gaon’ has been given a makeover. 

The gaon has now been made into another tourist attraction with developmental works being done by Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and the department of forest. 

Notably, the place is world famous for elephants and it is from Hathi Gaon that the elephants are brought to Amber Fort for the rides. There are about 113 elephants in this village.The place acts as a natural habitat for elephants and since long it was lying ignored and unkempt. But of late, things have changed for better. The village was been spruced up and now one cannot only make online booking for elephant rides,  but can also stay here in the refurbished guest house.

The makeover  has been done by JDA with a budget of Rs 3.85 crore. The shelters of elephants have been scrubbed off and have been painted with jungle images to give it a look of a natural habitat.

The water points for elephants have been renovated and their physical has also been accentuated.  “Good finishing has been done of the water pits and the place now looks neat and better,” said an official who has overseen the makeover of the village.

The department of forest now plans to throw open the bookings for the guest house which has also been furnished. The elephant rides here have already been started on specially made elephant ride track. While the domestic tourists are being charged Rs 50, the fee for foreigner tourists is Rs 300. 

The place now looks greener and attempts have been made to make it look like a natural habitat. Though there has been some criticism also with many people complaining that place no more looks like a  ‘gaon’.

For the mahouts and their families, water ATM has been started here to give them clean RO drinking water.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje is expected to visit the place on Sunday at 3:30pm to launch a report on wildlife conservation in the state.

CM VISIT TODAY

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje is expected to visit the place on Sunday at 3:30pm to launch a report on wildlife conservation in the state. Hathi Gaon now looks greener and attempts have been made to make it look like a natural habitat. Though there has been some criticism also with many people complaining that place no more looks like a  ‘gaon’. For the mahouts, water ATM has been started here to give them clean RO drinking water.

LIMITED RIDES AT AMBER FORT

No elephant rides are now being conducted at Amber Fort during evening. The management of the fort in November issued an order informing that due to movement of four-wheeled electric vehicles in the fort post afternoon, the elephant rides were stopped between 3:30pm and 5pm. The elephant rides at the fort are being conducted during the morning time only. Moreover, the rides are also stopped during the time of navratri as the festival is celebrated in a grand way at the fort.

PETA INTERVENES

On Friday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) founder Ingrid Newkirk met the Union Minister of Tourism, KJ Alphons and delivered digitally signed appeal on behalf of over 63,000 tourists from across the globe to the ministry requesting a ban on elephant rides. The appeals were all signed in the last week, after a video showing an elephant used in the tourist trade being beaten so hard that the animal suffered a fracture got viral across the globe. 


Ingrid Newkirk and KJ Alphons

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