Jalpaiguri, July 21:
More wild wonders from new watchtowers are in store for tourists
venturing into the north Bengal reserves from September.
The forest department has built two new
watchtowers - at Bararabri, in the Chilapata forest on the
annex of Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary and Kholakhaoa in the
Gorumara National Park area - to increase chances of shutter
happy tourists sighting the elusive animals.
The forest bungalows are also being renovated.
The department is working overtime to meet the puja deadline,
which signals the beginning of the tourist season. Forest
minister Jogesh Burman said the move was also aimed at accommodating
more tourists to the region and to avoid overcrowding at the
existing observation points.
`We thought of developing these spots to
attract more visitors. They would give tourists the opportunity
to explore more of the jungle and reduce the pressure on the
existing watchtowers,` he said.
Most of the watchtowers are situated at places that are hard
to reach. Tourists who visit these places are forced to stay
overnight. Since accommodation facilities are limited at such
places, we would have to turn away many visitors each year,
a forest department official said.
`We had built watchtowers at Chukchukia
in Gorumara and at Chapramari and the project proved to be
a success. Now, these two spots have been chosen. Here, tourists
can spend the day watching wild animals. As both the points
are located on the side of the core area, the animals too
will not be disturbed,` Burman said.
The forest department is also thinking of
developing Kunjanagar on the same lines.
Kunjanagar is located near Falakata and
has a zoo and a crocodile breeding and reintroduction centre.
`We want to promote tourism by increasing
the number of observation points and using locations from
where one can get a view of the sanctuaries and national parks,`
the minister said. `The only way we can woo tourists is by
showing them more of the region`s biodiversity."
Lataguri, adjacent to Gorumara National
Park, has grown as a tourist hub with private entrepreneurs
having set up resorts.
`The location is now well known to people.
Along with a new spot, Lataguri is now serving as a centre
from where the tourists can visit the nearby forest areas.
They no longer need to go back to the hills, like they had
to when there were no hotels or lodges near the forests. We
are stressing on such projects,` Burman said. |
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