'President Murmu likely to visit Kaziranga National Park next month'

KAZIRANGA: President Droupadi Murmu is likely to visit Assam's Kaziranga National Park on April 6-7, said Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve Director Jatindra Sarma on Sunday.

Declining to share further details, Jitendra Sarma said, "as per the information I have received, President Murmu will arrive at Kaziranga on April 6 evening and likely to enjoy the jeep safari and elephant safari, and on April 7, the President of India will attend the Elephant Festival here, in Kaziranga National Park."

He further said that this year's Elephant Festival will be held on April 6-7. "The venues will be finalized only after a high-level meeting," he added.

The Kaziranga National Park is one of the oldest wildlife conservancy reserves of India, first notified in 1905 and constituted as a Reserved Forest in 1908 with an area of 228.825 sq. Km was specially established for the conservation and protection of the Greater One Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Unicornis) whose number was estimated at twenty pairs then.

Kaziranga was declared a Game Sanctuary in 1916 and opened to visitors in 1938.

It was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 and notified as Kaziranga National Park in 1974 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, of 1972, with an area of 429.93 sq. Km. which has now extended to 899 Sq. Km. subsequently.