Hyderabad: The Mrugavani national park is facing a sharp drop in the number of visitors, sparking concerns about its future as a tourist spot.
Established in 1994 at Chilkur in Moinabad mandal, the park covers 480 acres and is home to 600 deer and 80 sambar deer. The visitor area is just eight acres, the park does not have proper water facility, security cameras, and is struggling with overgrown grass. The park’s auditorium, which educates visitors about wildlife, is also under repair, further affecting its attractiveness.
A forest department official told Deccan Chronicle, “We have submitted several proposals, including plans for a vehicle park, additional safaris, children's play area, and entrance arch but no action has been taken for the development.”
Officials said that although people visit the park on weekends with their families and children, the park is currently not in proper condition for children to play and very few visitors are seen in the park during the holiday season.
“It’s strange that there’s no CCTV in a park. What about people’s safety? If this continues, the park will face serious issues with footfall,” said Bratadeep Saho, a visitor. “Also, the broken water facility is forcing us to buy water. We come to the park to relax, but this one doesn’t provide the peace that we need. What’s the point of a national park like this?”
A stall worker at Mrugavani Park said, “We can’t predict when people will come, sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. It’s mostly college students with ID cards, especially couples. There’s not much we can do.”
According to sources, visitor attendance is low, typically comprising couples and students, with families rarely visiting. There have also been reports of people drinking outside the park, making it more appealing for couples due to the lack of CCTV inside the national park.
A senior forest officer said, “Currently, the park does not generate any revenue, and funding for its development has not been approved. We are working on improvising the park's condition, as well as the Forestrek Park, which is attracting interest of the people in recent times.”
