Entry to the Karanji Lake Nature Park (KLNP), one of the tourist attractions here, will cost more as the ticket fare has been revised after a gap of nearly one year. Citing increase in operational cost of the facility which is under the control of Mysuru zoo, the entry fees have been hiked by ₹10.
The entry fee has been revised from ₹40 to ₹50 for adults and from ₹20 to ₹25 for children. Also, the combo entry fee to the Mysuru zoo and the KLNP has been revised from ₹120 to ₹130 for adults. The combo ticket fare for children is ₹70. The revised entry fees are coming into effect from March 1, according to the zoo authorities.
A decision to the effect was taken at the governing council meeting of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK).
Mysuru Zoo Executive Director Ajit Kulkarni told The Hindu that the entry fee to KLNP has been revised after a gap of over one year. The revision had become necessary in view of the rise in maintenance cost besides the payment of staff salaries. The zoo and the KLNP are self-sustaining facilities and depend only on the gate collections for their maintenance, he added.
The entry fee for morning walkers and joggers is ₹10 and this fee is valid only between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Also, the monthly and yearly passes are also available for those wishing to visit the park for walking or jogging daily from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. The monthly pass costs ₹300, Mr. Kulkarni said.
Orchidarium improved
The orchidarium developed as an attraction at the KLNP has been upgraded with the addition of new varieties of orchids. “We have introduced some new diversities of orchids for the benefit of visitors. This is another attraction for the visitors at the KLNP besides walking through the aviary and butterfly park,” he said.
Boating has been reintroduced and visitors could see bamboo varieties at the bamboo park. Butterfly park happens to be another highlight of the KLNP.
On the number of visitors to the zoo and the KLNP post-COVID-19, the zoo director said the footfall continues to remain low. “Our main footfall was coming from the visitors from Kerala. With strict surveillance and curbs on the borders, the number of visitors from the neighboring State has come down, affecting the overall footfall.”
