Forest department seeks temporary closure of Ajanta Caves for bee relocation, but ASI non-committal

Time of India

a day ago

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The forest department, which is relocating bees at Ajanta Caves, has requested a temporary closure of the Unesco World Heritage site to facilitate the operation without tourist interference.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has, however, cited procedural issues, stating that the request could not be granted immediately.
A large swarm of bees from a beehive at cave number 4 was relocated on Monday when the heritage site was closed for tourists for weekly maintenance. Deputy conservator of forests Suvarna Mane said the brief closure of Ajanta Caves for tourists would be helpful in relocating the bees from different caves swiftly.
"We made an oral request to ASI to close down the caves for tourists for a brief period, but there has been no response from their side so far. Such a closure is necessary as tourist movements prove a hurdle in relocating bees," she said.
After cave number 4, the forest department and ASI are now focusing on caves 9 and 10, where a larger number of beehives are present.
Shiv Kumar Bhagat, superintending archaeologist for ASI, Aurangabad circle, told TOI that the forest department did not make any written request with regards to the temporary closure of Ajanta Caves for tourists.
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"We have to follow rules and seek permission from the central authorities while responding to any such request. If not entire closure, partial closure of the caves for tourists could be considered, subject to approval from the top authorities," he said.
A series of bee attacks on tourists was reported at Ajanta Caves this summer, prompting ASI to seek help from the forest department in relocating bees. Jaswant Singh, founder of the advocacy and resource group Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation, said ASI would be responsible for any injury or possible death due to bee attacks at Ajanta Caves.
"This is a lean tourist period at Ajanta Caves and there is no harm in closing down the caves for a few days. If executed properly, the ongoing operation would bring a big relief to tourists. The bee attacks in the recent past have tarnished the image of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, which is known as the tourism capital of Maharashtra," Singh said.