BHUBANESWAR: As Odisha attempts to position itself on India’s emerging caravan tourism map, the state Forest department is gearing up to roll out the concept in its pristine eco-tourism destinations with regulated stay facilities.
The department has decided to develop dedicated caravan parks at eco-tourism sites across the state. The locations include Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Similipal Tiger Reserve, Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Mahendragiri, Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary, Deomali hills and Bhitarkanika National Park.
To roll out the initiative, the government has issued a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for caravan movement, parking and tourist conduct within forest-managed eco-tourism zones. “The move is aimed at ensuring that tourism expansion does not come at the cost of ecological balance,” said deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Wildlife Vivek Kumar.
Kumar said under the SOP, caravan parks have been made as designated areas meant only for temporary parking and short-duration stays, with minimal infrastructure and no permanent construction. These sites cannot function as resorts or conventional accommodation facilities.
The department has capped the carrying capacity at roughly four to five caravans per site at a time, depending on ecological sensitivity, water availability, waste management capacity and wildlife movement patterns. Final decisions on site-specific limits will rest with the DFOs concerned.
Only eco-friendly and temporary infrastructure will be permitted within the parks including levelled parking bays, solar lighting, drinking water points, waste segregation systems, septic facilities and charging points. Bookings for caravan parking and associated services will be done through the Ecotour Odisha portal and only government-approved caravan operators with pre-registered vehicles will be allowed entry. The booking facility has been integrated with the Ecotour site, the deputy conservator of forests said.
Caravan movement will also be regulated through designated routes, fixed time windows and prescribed speed limits, especially in wildlife-sensitive areas. Tourists will be required to segregate waste, avoid littering and use only approved sewage systems. Disposal of grey water or sewage into forest land or nearby waterbodies has been banned outright.
Loud music, fireworks and generators are also prohibited, while lighting inside caravan parks must remain low-intensity and downward-facing to minimise disturbance to wildlife. Visitors will be briefed on wildlife behaviour and safety protocols during their travel. Feeding animals is also banned and any unusual wildlife movement have to be immediately reported to forest authorities.
In situations where animals approach caravan zones, tourists will require to remain inside their vehicles and follow official instructions.
The SOP also stresses that revenue earned from caravan operations will be distributed with 80 per cent earmarked for infrastructure maintenance through DFOs, 10 per cent allocated to local communities and eco-development committees (EDCs) and the remaining 10 per cent directed to the ecotourism society corpus fund.
Officials said the tentative parking fee has been fixed at Rs 1,000 per night while food, electricity, sewerage disposal, waste management, dormitory use and recreational activities will be charged separately on an actual-cost basis.
