E-vehicles likely to run for tiger safari in Tadoba reserve

In a bid to promote use of green energy, electric tourist vehicles are likely to be introduced in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) of Maharashtra, a senior forest official has said.

The proposal to introduce electric tourist vehicles in TATR was in the pipeline since the last one year and it is expected to be implemented later this month on a trial basis, the official told PTI on Thursday.

TATR, located in Chandrapur district, will be first to introduce such vehicles for animal safari in the state, he claimed.

These e-vehicles would be first tested on difficult forest terrains before being allowed to run in TATR, he added.

The state has six tiger reserves which cover an area of around 9,116 sq km.

Pench, Melghat, Sahyadri and Tadoba-Andhari are some of the popular tiger reserves that attract a large number of wildlife enthusiasts every year.

There are nearly 165 tigers inhabiting the state's reserves where eco-tourism generated a collective revenue of around Rs 11.76 crore in 2017-18, another forest official said.