Transportation a roaring problem for visitors to Gir

The only abode of Asiatic lions virtually out of bound for tourists

Prolonged gauge conversion work by the Railways and lack of sufficient bus services have made Sasan-Gir, the only abode of the Asiatic lion, virtually out of bound for tourists and nature-lovers.

The Railways is converting metre gauge lines to broad gauge along the Ahmedabad-Botad route that connects Ahmedabad to Bhavnagar and Junagadh.

The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation runs only skeletal services to Sasan-Gir.

While the railway lines to Junagadh have been closed for several months, there are just one or two reputed private bus operators that run daily services to Junagadh.

From Junagadh to Sasan, a small town from where the Gir Asiatic lion sanctuary begins, the transport facilities are bare minimum.

People visiting Sasan-Gir in private vehicles face little difficulty, but others who wish to visit the spot using public transport are often left stranded.

Sources at the Junagadh division of the road transport corporation said 18 buses are scheduled to reach Sasan on a daily basis.

"However, there are problems with frequency of the buses as some are in the workshop for repairs, while others face breakdowns mid-way. It is true that not all 18 buses reach Sasan everyday," said an official of the division.

Sasan residents say they rather prefer 'chhakdas', jeeps or mini buses that operate along the Sasan-Veraval and Sasan-Junagadh routes.

"There are just four or five buses that come here in the whole day. They are also not on time," said a shop owner at Sasan.

From Sasan, visitors have to go to Devaliya, where the forest department has a bus trip into a protected area. The visitors are forced to avail of 'chhakda' services to reach Devaliya.

Railways sources here said gauge conversion on the Surendranagar-Bhavnagar route has been completed and trains will now be able to go up to Bhavnagar.

"One train from Ahmedabad and the other from Mumbai will reach Bhavnagar everyday via Surendranagar, from May 11," an official said.

However, that has still not solved the problem, as the Ahmedabad-Botad gauge conversion is still underway. Trains including Girnar Express, which stops at Junagadh, the closest rail point from Sasan-Gir, still stand suspended because of gauge conversion. Thus, people from Ahmedabad cannot reach Junagadh by rail.

Hemant Pradhan, tourist officer of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd, said tourist flow to Sasan-Gir will pick up once the gauge conversion is completed.

"Gauge conversion was necessary and this will actually help many people visiting Junagadh and the triangle of Junagadh, Sasan-Gir and Somnath," he said.

Pradhan said Sasan-Gir is an extremely eco-fragile zone and "the Sasan-Gir sanctuary cannot allow more than 500 persons a day and the forest department officials say land in Sasan is scarce".

Pradhan said with the gauge conversion, access to Sasan-Gir will become far easier.