With Meghalaya reopening for tourism, both local and from outside the state, visitors to Elephant Falls, one of the most popular tourists spots in Upper Shillong, is gradually picking up once again, with more than 150 people taking in the sights on Sunday.
Lionel Nongkhlaw, general secretary of the San Shnong Youth Welfare Oganisation (SSYWO), which manages the tourist site, said that the operators incurred huge financial losses since the pandemic hit but they somehow managed to survive on reserved funds built up during past years.
“All our staff, including all the shopkeepers running stalls here, have taken the Covid vaccine and we are 100 percent vaccinated and following all the protocols strictly,” Nongkhlaw told Highland Post. “I feel that we who have taken the vaccine and been protected should not suffer just because of the rest who are not willing to take the vaccine and the necessary precautions.”
Informing that there are over 120 households that are directly and indirectly dependent on Elephant Falls for their livelihood, Nongkhlaw said that the SSYWO has paid its 24 staff their salaries but need to get paying tourists back in order to keep going as their financial reserves are almost exhausted.
The assessed capacity of the tourist site is more than 1,000 people but, to maintain physical distancing, a cap of 300 visitors at a time has been placed. Entry fees have also been increased, from Rs 20 per person to a significant Rs 200.
“We have lost reserve funds of about Rs 20 lakh since last year and it’s a big loss and if this continues and tourism keeps getting disrupted then we won’t be able to sustain our staff salaries and we will have to shut down Elephant Falls,” he lamented. Last year the operators received financial assistance from the state government but none was offered this year.
Before the pandemic the SSYWO had also organized many social activities out of the reserve funds collected and built houses for the poor every year, provided relief assistance funds in times of emergency and made donations to schools and sports clubs in the area.
On a positive note, Elephant Falls is now equipped with tent houses and tourists can camp overnight at the spot by renting camp tents at Rs 500 per night, Nongkhlaw said, adding that they are also planning to hold a musical evening, with permission from the authorities, on weekends strictly for invitees to further enhance revenue generation.
“Elephant Falls is a well-organized tourist spot and we appeal and encourage our people to take the vaccine and be protected so that they can also welcome the tourists safely into the state because if this persists we may survive Covid but certainly die of famine,” Nongkhlaw stated.
