SEPTEMBER 25: A brisk jaunt at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in the mornings is guaranteed to make any one of the regular walkers feel light. Light in the wallet that is. From October 1, morning walkers will have to cough up a monthly sum of Rs 50 or a yearly charge of Rs 500 for their daily quota of fresh air. As one of the forest officers puts it: pay for the `facility' of morning air.Not only this, visitors' charges have been doubled to Rs 4 for children upto the age of 12 years and Rs 10 for those above 12 years of age. Carrying a camera into the park now costs Rs 500, a hefty increase from the earlier charge of Rs 200. Though no charge has been levied so far on morning walkers, a ruling by the state government (No: WLP10/2000/PK62/FI) on August 31 this year, changes this for good.Not surprising is the reaction of rebellious citizens who tread the park path every day. ``This is supposed to be national property. How can they charge us for looking after our health?,'' asks a fuming Dr H M Shroff who has been walking here every morning for the past six years. ``Most of those who walk here are senior citizens who depend upon their children for money. It is virtually impossible for them to pay these fee,'' he adds.Local advocate Suresh Panicker states that it is the state's duty to promote activities promoting the health of citizens under the Directive Principles of State Policy, encapsulated in the Constitution of India.P D Dashputre, who has been taking morning walks here for the past 25 years, sadly reveals that he may have to cease his morning jaunt here if the charges are imposed. ``I will have to consider if I can pay so much. The conditions of the roads are horrible and the lights are switched off early in the winter. Why should we pay the money?'' he asks.On the other side of the fence, S G Borase, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Krishnagiri Upavan certainly feels otherwise. ``As morning walkers frequent the area, the money will be used to enhance park conditions. Citizens should also pitch in to help the government,'' he states.µBorase also reveals that one of the main reasons for the imposition of charges for morning walkers is that a few stayed within their stipulated time of 7.30 am. ``Often, they remain till nearly 9-9.30 am on the excuse of going for a morning walk. There are so many entry points to the park that it becomes difficult to check the flow of people. It will become easier with a pass system.''The Shiv sainiks in the area, preparing to protest against the new charges, have already dashed off a letter to the chief minister. ``We will all enter the park without paying the fees on October 1,'' declares defiant Shiv Sena councillor Sanjay Baodekar. Is he ready for the consequences? Well, he says, they can only arrest us.Retorts a grim RFO Borase,``if any one enters without the pass, we will have to punish them as per the law.'' A series of signature campaigns, and a few arrests are well in store, as advocate Panicker put it.
