BHOPAL, Dec 23: Prime Minister I K Gujral's aborted Kanha trip to celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year has proved expensive for the state exchequer while causing inconvenience to a large number of holiday makers.

Gujral had made a sudden decision to celebrate Christmas in Kanha, the biggest national park in the country and home to more than 200 tigers.

Till last week the state government had received no intimation of the Prime Minister's impending visit. Meanwhile, the state tourism department had made advance bookings for customers. It then had to send cancellation letters to customers explaining the extraordinary circumstances under which cancellations were being made. The park has also been closed to the public for almost a week now and would have continued to be out of bounds till Gujral and family completed their vacations there.

Yogeshwar Raj Singh who runs the Palace Kawardha, a heritage property in Kawardha, on the edge of Kanha is furious because he had to cancel several bookings. "As it is few foreigners visit this part of India and now after cancelling bookings my credibility has taken a beating with the same groups unwilling to rearrange their plans." He estimates a loss of Rs 50 lakh to the local economy which looks forward to the year end bashes to boost earnings. Meanwhile, the prime minister had also on his schedule a visit to Damakheda near Bhatapara in Raipur district which is facing a drought.

The district administration had dropped everything on hand and got down to making arrangements for the visit. A helipad has been made here, the SP and Collector D P Tiwari have made several visits to the village which has never seen so many officers despite several pleas for relief.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.