Tiger safari at Bandipur suspended for general public ahead of PM's visit on April 9

The Chamarajanagar district administration has barred the general public from taking the safari ride at the Bandipur National Park ahead of prime minister Narendra Modi's visit, an order dated April 5 said. This ban will be valid till April 9, when PM Modi is set to inaugurate a three-day mega event in Mysuru to commemorate 50 years of ‘Project Tiger’.

The PM is also expected to release the tiger estimation numbers for 2022 at the programme. In this light, Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner D S Ramesh issued an order banning tourists from taking the tiger safari ride at the Bandipur tiger reserve from April 6 to 9.

READ | PM Modi to inaugurate three-day mega event in Mysuru on April 9 to mark 50 years of Project Tiger

All hotels, lodges and homestays around the premises of the tiger reserve have also been barred from taking visitors and tourists in and have been ordered to remain closed during the period. These directives have been put in place for easier road traffic management and security purposes, among others.

PM Modi is likely to go on a safari ride himself and spend two hours at the wildlife sanctuary on Sunday, a report said. Moreover, he will release a commemorative coin of ₹50, and put out a document on evaluating effective management of tiger reserves and a vision document for tiger conservation.

The PM will then go on to Tamil Nadu's Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on the same day. This will be PM Modi's eight visit to poll-bound Karnataka, where assembly elections are due to be held on May 10, and counting will take place on May 13.