Boats and Boat Crew

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Essentials to be placed in every Boat :

• Do's and Don'ts Board to be placed in every boat at a prominent place.
• First aid box with the medicines prescribed in the annexure to be placed in every boat and replaced regularly as the medicines expire.
• Waste bins to be placed in every Boat at a more accessible and Prominent Location.
• A separate Seating arrangement for guide.
• Fire Extinguisher (min 1 Cylinder) & sufficient Life jackets to be placed.

General Rules:

• Prescribed Number of Tourists for each specification of boat should be followed.
• The Boat crew should not deviate from the Department prescribed routes at any cost without the permission of the Range officer - Ecotourism Range.
• No Loud Music should be played inside the boat and Silence to be maintained when inside the forest area.
• No Waste (Plastic, Food or any other) should be thrown in the forest area or in the river waters at any cost.
• Liquor drinking, Smoking are strictly prohibited inside the Forest area.
• Using Drones inside the forest area is strictly prohibited.
• Tourists are allowed to get down from the boat in the camps open for tourism. Swimming, diving, fishing is strictly prohibited inside the reserve.
• Plastic Bottles or any single use plastic is prohibited inside the Tiger reserve.
• All the Rules and Regulations under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and Wildlife Protection act, 1972 and National Tiger Conservation Authority are applicable in the Tiger Reserve.

Flag:

• The National Flag should be flown between Sunrise and Sunset at the highest point in the front of every boat as per the Flag code of India.
• The flag should be maintained neatly and should be replaced regularly.

Name And Number :

• Name of the Boat should be written in the front in a clear and legible format and repainted regularly.
• BLC number of the boat to be painted on the Back of the boat in a size readable from a distance of 20 metres.

Guidelines:

• Reading Material and Information about Sundarban ecology, economy and Culture to be placed in boats for guests to use so as to increase the awareness about the region.
• Water dispenser and other alternatives to single use plastics and to be considered and implemented in the boats as per convenience.
• Bio degradable Materials to be used as far as possible.
• Binoculars to be placed in every boat for Tourist to use

The boat Owners, Crew and the tourists are obliged to cooperate with the forest officials for Permit Checking, search or any other activity as performed by law in response to any situation.

Tourist Guide

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Dress code:

• Camouflage Jacket and proper prescribed uniform should be worn.
• ID card should be worn by the Guide for identification.
• The dress should be maintained neatly and should be replaced regularly.

General Rules:

• Guides should ensure that the Number of people in boat are in line with the restrictions and limits imposed from time to time.
• Guides are obliged to inform about the rules and regulations to be followed inside the boats and camps to the tourist.
• Guides, to the extent possible, provide information about the ecology, environment, social aspects of Sundarbans to the guests.
• In camps, guides should take care of the guests and guide them back to the boats within the stipulated time.
• Guides should not advertise or engage in promotion of any boat, tourist operator, resorts or any private entity or NGO in any form.

Guidelines:

• Encourage guests to buy local handicrafts and support local initiatives (No particular private or NGO should be mentioned but in general)
• Don't promote your business to the tourist.
• Avoid taking any gift from the tourist.
• Inform the forest officials about any violation of rules and regulations.

Rules and Guidelines for COVID-19

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Essentials to be placed in every Boat:

• Hand sanitizer in upper deck on the boat.
• Hand soap for tourist for sanitization.
• Temperature gun to ensure Temperature of Guests is normal before boarding the boats.

General Rules:

• Wearing mask throughout the journey for Guests and boat crew members.
• Maintain social distancing inside the boat as far as possible.
• Not more than Six tourist boats are allowed at a time in a camp.
• No gathering is allowed in the compound premises of the camps.
• Maximum time allowed in any camp for a boat would be 20 minutes.
• In case of any symptoms, it must be informed to the Guides and forest officials immediately.

Guidelines:

• Maintain hygiene inside the boat.
• No lavatory usage for the tourists in any forest camps will be allowed.
• Tourist should have taken at least single dose of COVID Vaccine for entering the camps.

Annexure

Essential list of Medicines to be Placed in Boats