Dear Shri. Vijay Kumar IFS

In our wildlife-passionate state of Karnataka, the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD) has doubled the charges for camera usage (on safari) making wildlife photography accessible only to the uber rich and the royals. The camera charge hike is severely hurting common citizens like us and killing our passion and enthusiasm
On behalf of all the wildlife and nature lovers of Karnataka, we have started a petition to abolish the practice of charging camera fees and urging KFD to include this in the existing safari and forest entry fees.
Request you to sign our petition and lend your support against this irrational and knee-jerk action from KFD
Background- In the year 2017, the Karnataka Forest Department, for the first time in India, introduced a new system of charging separate camera charges and thereby robbing the common people of the sate who wished to see and photograph the rich flora and fauna of Karnataka. This system is not present in any other wildlife reserve in India. Common people have been protesting this since that year. Rubbing salt on the wound, KFD has again hiked the camera charges on 31st of March 2021 and the new charges and impact are as below:
1. Earlier the camera fee was ₹500+₹91 (incl GST). Current increase in camera fee is by 100% to ₹1000+GST which totally accrues to ₹1180 for a basic van/canter safari. How is it that the camera charges exceed an entire safari charge?
2. For one person wanting to go on a single safari with a basic DSLR and a 70-200 lens, it costs Rs 500 (plus GST) as the forest entry fee + Rs 1180 (as above). Rs 1700 for a 1.5-hour safari! Isn’t this daylight robbery??
3. Where has the money collected from all these years from tourists been spent? Has there been any efforts towards welfare or development of basic amenities for tourists? Even hygienic toilets are missing in this age. The quality of canters remains the same
It becomes critical to raise our voices to ensure the rights of the common man is preserved and our forests remain accessible to everyone and not become the property of only the uber rich and the elite