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NAINITAL: The Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) administration has slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 each on 15 tourists for stepping out of three safari vehicles and then walking back a kilometre to the exit. The tourists, who hailed from Hisar and Panipat in Haryana had taken a day safari to the Jhirna zone of the reserve on Friday.

CTR director Rahul (who only uses his first name) said, “The group complained to the administration that the guide and the Gypsy drivers had misbehaved with them. We conducted an inquiry and found that the tourists had stepped out of the vehicles inside the protected area which had let to an altercation with the guide and the drivers. The tourists then walked back. Getting out of the vehicle inside the protected area is prohibited to ensure safety and security of wildlife and tourists. The group has therefore been fined.”

He added that the fines had been imposed under Section 28 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Speaking about the incident, Ram Singh, the tourist guide who accompanied the group, said, “The group did not listen to us when we told them not to get out of the vehicle. There are only a few designated spots where one is permitted to step out of the vehicle.”

Meanwhile, Surinder Singh, a tourist from Panipat who was fined, told TOI, “We were not aware of the rules and will not repeat such a thing in the future.”

Tourists have been fined by Corbett authorities for violating guidelines in the past as well.

In October 2018, a tourist from Delhi was fined Rs 25,000 and a case was registered against him under Indian Forest Act 1927 for flying a drone near the boundary of the reserve in Mohaan area.

In March 2018, four students of IIT-Kanpur along with a professor accompanying them were fined Rs 40,000 for operating a drone in the restricted Bijrani zone of CTR.

