23 January,2009 09:13 AM IST | | Agencies
An elusive crocodile in a lake at Katraj is sapping the revenue of Maharashtra Tourism Corporation, which has suspended boating facilities at its resort from the past two months.
u00a0
A popular picnic spot, about 25 km from the city, where the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has constructed a Rs 2 crore resort, the lake now stands deserted even in peak season, thanks to the crocodile scare.
But the inability of authorities of the municipal body-run Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park (RGZP), which is housed in the near the lake, to catch the reptile after it was sighted has irked MTDC officials. They claim that the withdrawal of boating had affected their business badly.
"We have a fleet of 50 boats and used to offer rides to around 1,000 tourists a day. Also, the number used to get doubled during the peak season and weekends. But now, the crocodile scare has turned the complex into a ghost resort," said, Vijay Chavan, MTDC General Manager for Pune Region.
