The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s scheduled visit to UNESCO World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park next month has irked government officials in Assam as they have not been officially apprised of it, which coincides with Assembly elections and Rongali Bihu celebrations. A statement from the British High Commission last week said that the royal couple would arrive in Mumbai on April 10 and leave for Delhi the next day.
They will spend April 12 and 13 at Kaziranga, and then leave for Bhutan. They will wrap up the sojourn with a visit to Taj Mahal on April 16. Bharat Narah, media advisor to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, denied having received any official intimation about the visit. “Our preparation to welcome a VVIP begins well ahead of his or her visit to the park. We do not want tourists to suffer,” an official of Kaziranga National Park said. The state’s Minister for Forest and Environment, Atuwa Munda, said their visit will help promote tourism. The visit is being highlighted as a ‘tribute’ to Queen Elizabeth II’s contribution to the Commonwealth ahead of her 90th birthday on April 21.