By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The Odisha government Saturday issued instructions to all concerned officials in the state asking them to regulate the visit of researchers and foreign tourists into the areas inhibited by primitive tribal groups.
The instruction came in the wake of recent reports that the primitive Bonda tribes who live in Maoist-affected Malkangiri district are being exploited by tour operators.
Although the government had denied the allegation, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik issued fresh instructions to all concerned district collectors Saturday to prevent any such occurrence in future, an official of the Chief Minister’s office told IANS.
According to the instructions, no researcher or foreign tourist will be allowed to visit the area inhibited by primitive tribes without the permission of the concerned district collector.
A copy of the permission should be marked to the local police who will ensure that the conditions mentioned in the permission are strictly followed, he said.
While granting permissions, the authorities will impose conditions as are necessary to protect and uphold the cultural ethos and dignity of the tribal communities.
Citing some of the conditions, the official said researchers or tourists will be allowed to visit only limited number of villages and locations taking into account the sensitivity of the area.
Visitors will be accompanied by the representative local authorities. No permission would be given to visit the area at night. No photography of the primitive tribe will be allowed, he said.
Besides, no permission will be granted for any form of amusement or entertainment of tourists by the tribal groups. Tour operators intending to take tourists need to be registered with the state tourism department, he said.
The tour operators should not depict inappropriate photographs, video clips and write ups of primitive tribal groups on their websites or brochures. The operators will also submit a monthly return of foreign tourists visiting the area inhabited by primitive tribal groups, the official said.