Himachal wildlife park fees doubled: Congress govt faces BJP fire over debt crisis
Synopsis
Himachal Pradesh's Congress government has doubled wildlife sanctuary entry fees — the latest in a string of citizen-facing levies — as the state grapples with a debt load that Chief Minister Sukhu himself pegged at ₹1.01 lakh crore as of January 2026. With assembly elections on the horizon, the BJP is turning every fee hike into a referendum on Congress's fiscal stewardship.
Key Takeaways
Himachal Pradesh has doubled wildlife sanctuary entry fees: ₹150 to ₹300 for Indian visitors and ₹300 to ₹600 for foreign nationals.
The notification was issued by Chief Secretary K.K.
Pant and also raised charges for professional photography and cinematography in protected zones.
The state has 28 wildlife sanctuaries across districts including Shimla , Solan , and Kullu .
Himachal Pradesh's total debt stood at approximately ₹1.01 lakh crore as of 31 January 2026 , per Chief Minister Sukhu's own statement to the Assembly.
Nearly 70 per cent of the state's ₹58,514 crore budget for 2025-26 is committed to salaries, pensions, interest, and debt repayment.
BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari linked the hike to Congress's 'khata-khat economic model', ahead of state assembly elections next year.
The Congress-led government in Himachal Pradesh has doubled entry fees for wildlife parks and sanctuaries, raising charges for Indian visitors from ₹150 to ₹300 and for foreign nationals from ₹300 to ₹600 — a 100 per cent hike across the board. The move, formalised through a notification issued by Chief Secretary-cum-Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) K.K. Pant, has triggered sharp political backlash against the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led administration, already under scrutiny for its handling of the state's mounting debt.
What the Notification Changes
The revised fee structure applies to 28 wildlife sanctuaries across Himachal Pradesh, including three in Shimla district — the Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary, Daranghati Wildlife Sanctuary, and Talra Wildlife Sanctuary. The Solan district houses Chail and Majathal wildlife sanctuaries, while Kullu district has several protected zones including Tirthan, Sainj, Kais, Kanawar, Khokhan, and Manaliainj.
Beyond visitor entry fees, the notification also raised charges for professional photography and cinematography in these protected zones, broadening the revenue sweep of the revision.
BJP's Criticism: Debt, Freebies, and Fee Hikes
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, 'Rahul Gandhi's khata-khat economic model has pushed Himachal Pradesh into darkness, and the Congress government is looting the people of the state.' The BJP has framed the fee hike as the latest in a pattern of cost-shifting onto citizens to compensate for what it describes as fiscal mismanagement driven by populist electoral promises.
BJP leaders cited earlier instances of what they call burden-shifting: a 15 per cent bus fare hike in May 2025; a power subsidy rollback in 2024; an electricity tariff hike in 2023; a ration price hike in 2024; an increase in power and water cess in 2024; and the introduction of a milk cess of 10 paise per unit in 2024.
The Debt Numbers Behind the Decision
According to a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report cited by the BJP, the overall outstanding debt of Himachal Pradesh at the close of 2023-24 stood at ₹95,632 crore. The report also noted that between 2019 and 2024, between 52.99 per cent and 74.11 per cent of public debt receipts were being used for repayment of existing borrowings — a sign of a tightening debt spiral.
Chief Minister Sukhu himself informed the state Legislative Assembly that total debt, as of 31 January 2026, had reached approximately ₹1.01 lakh crore. In the state's ₹58,514 crore Budget Estimate for 2025-26, nearly 70 per cent of the total outlay was earmarked for salaries, pensions, interest payments, and debt repayment, leaving limited fiscal headroom for development spending.
Corruption Allegations Add to Political Pressure
BJP leaders have also targeted the Sukhu government over several alleged corruption cases, including a multi-crore rupee mining scam, a fake Ayushman Bharat cards scandal, a fake purchase of fruit trees in the horticulture department, and a ₹175 crore tender scam involving the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL). The government has not publicly responded to these specific allegations.
Political Stakes Ahead of Assembly Elections
The fee hike and the surrounding controversy carry added weight given that Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections are scheduled next year. Critics argue that successive revenue measures — from bus fares to wildlife entry fees — risk eroding public goodwill at a politically sensitive moment. The Congress government, for its part, has not issued a formal rebuttal to the BJP's characterisation of the fee revision as fiscally driven. Whether the Sukhu administration can reframe the narrative around conservation funding rather than fiscal distress may prove critical in the months ahead.
Point of View
Pensions, and debt, every new levy — however modest — becomes a proxy for the larger question of fiscal viability. The BJP's framing is opportunistic but not inaccurate: Himachal's debt trajectory, confirmed by the CM himself at ₹1.01 lakh crore, is structurally alarming. What mainstream coverage underplays is that this is a bipartisan problem — Himachal's debt stress predates the current Congress government, and the BJP's own tenure was not without fiscal expansionism. The real accountability question is whether either party has a credible consolidation plan, or whether voters in the upcoming elections will be choosing between two versions of the same fiscal drift.
NationPress
30 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much has Himachal Pradesh increased wildlife sanctuary entry fees?
The Himachal Pradesh government has doubled entry fees for wildlife parks and sanctuaries — from ₹150 to ₹300 for Indian visitors and from ₹300 to ₹600 for foreign nationals, a 100 per cent hike in both cases. The notification also raised charges for professional photography and cinematography in protected zones.
Why is the BJP criticising the Himachal Pradesh government over the fee hike?
The BJP argues the fee hike is a symptom of the Congress government's fiscal mismanagement, pointing to the state's total debt of approximately ₹1.01 lakh crore as of January 2026. BJP leaders say the Sukhu government has repeatedly shifted financial burdens onto citizens through a series of fare and tariff hikes since taking office.
What is the total debt of Himachal Pradesh?
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu informed the state Legislative Assembly that Himachal Pradesh's total debt had reached approximately ₹1.01 lakh crore as of 31 January 2026. A CAG report cited by the BJP also noted that outstanding debt at the end of 2023-24 stood at ₹95,632 crore.
Which wildlife sanctuaries are affected by the fee hike in Himachal Pradesh?
The revised fees apply to all 28 wildlife sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh. These include Shimla Water Catchment, Daranghati, and Talra sanctuaries in Shimla district; Chail and Majathal in Solan district; and Tirthan, Sainj, Kais, Kanawar, Khokhan, and Manaliainj in Kullu district, among others.
When are the next Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections?
Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections are scheduled for next year, making the current political controversy over fee hikes and fiscal management particularly significant. The BJP has been using each revenue measure by the Congress government to build its campaign narrative around fiscal misgovernance.
