Meghalaya: Entry fee for tourist spot in West Khasi Hills irks visitors

NONGSTOIN:

Following the re-opening of Mawphanlur, a well-known Tourist Spot in West Khasi Hills district, visitors have flowed in to experience the scenic and natural beauty of the place.

Mawphanlur usually witnesses heavy flow and overcrowding of local visitors on January 1 every year.

However, this year, the number of visitors has gone down compared to the previous years.

Some visitors who visited Mawphanlur on January 1 were unhappy with the entry fee charged by the Mawphanlur Integrated Village Cooperative Society.

Some visitors stated that the entry fee was Rs. 100 per head, unlike previous years when they were charged only Rs. 10 per head excluding parking fee.

While addressing reporters, the Chairman of the Mawphanlur Integrated Village Cooperative Society, Boney Lyngdoh, said that the committee has been running at a loss ever since the pandemic.

“After receiving permission from the district administration to reopen the tourist spot with strict adherence to health protocols, the committee decided to charge the entry fee at Rs. 100 per head since the committee has to recruit more volunteers to look after the visitors,” he said.

For the visitors who are unhappy about the entry fee, Lyngdoh said that they think that Mawphanlur is not a tourist spot but just another place for a picnic or to drink.

“For such visitors, 10 rupees of the entry fee is costly since they don’t understand the beauty of mother nature,” he said, adding that even though the committee does not prohibit such kind of enjoyment, visitors should exercise discipline.

(Edited by Andre Kongri)