With flamingos giving Sewri jetty a miss this season, Mumbaikars have been thronging the Thane creek to take a boat safari for a closer look at the pink beauties. The regular flow of tourists and birding enthusiasts has helped the Maharashtra State Mangrove Cell generate a revenue of around Rs 6.70 lakh in just two and a half months since the boat ride started.
The Mangrove Cell has been operating two boats -- one 24-seater and a seven-seater since February 1 from its Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Centre (CMCB) at Airoli even after the project ran in troubled waters and was delayed by almost 10 months. The ride offers a close view of the dense mangroves of Thane creek as well as an opportunity to watch several species of birds in the wetlands and shorelines including the flamingos.
“We are getting a very good response from the tourists and 1,296 tourists took the boat safari in February and March, while in April, till date around 400 visitors have taken the ride. Since vacations have begun and the number of flamingos that have arrived late this year has also now gone up, we expect more people to come to the CMCB,” informed Mayur Bothe, Range Forest Officer (RFO) from the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, adding that since the ride is scheduled as per tides each month they have conducted 27 to 30 rides.
There are two kinds of boat rides available -- the 24-seater boat which costs Rs 300 during weekdays and Rs 400 during weekends for a 45-minute ride, while the seven-seater motorboat costs Rs 5, 000 during weekdays and Rs 6,000 during weekends for an hour.
“This season, huge flocks of flamingos have been seen in and around the Thane creek area, while smaller flocks of flamingo have arrived near Sewri. But due to the work of the Trans Harbour Link, they are not to be seen close to the sewri jetty. They are seen far away near Mahul,” said marine enthusiast Pradip Patade who visited Sewri two days ago.
