Shyamal Dutta, manager of Bansbari Lodge at Manas National Park, has not been seeing to many visitors after the abduction of WWF staff in the western part of Manas N.P. in March. That's understandable, says Shyamal, who has been managing the Bansbari Lodge, operated by JTI's sister company Assam Bengal Navigation, for many years. But tourists visiting the area are not in any danger, he contends. The Bansbari Lodge was re-opened in 2003, after Bodo insurgance in the area forced the authorities to close the park down. Since then tourists have never experienced any trouble, according to Shyamal.
In 2003 the indigenous Bodo people have been giving partial self-rule, and since then the Bodoland Territorial Council is in charge of local administration. A smaller faction of the erstwhile Bodo resistance/separatist groups has not agreed to this, and these people incidentally cause problems in various parts of Assam. But even they understand that tourism means income for the locals, says Shyamal, and it would be foolish on their part to interfere with tourism.
Manas continues to be a delight for the discerning nature lover. While being one of India's largest parks (the Tiger Reserve covers nearly 3000 square kms) it gets much less visitors then the more known parks elsewhere in India.