The State Water Resources Department and Tourism Department will jointly develop well-equipped gardens at three different locations at Ravishankar Water Reservoir (Gangrel dam) area in Dhamtari district.

Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Brijmohan Agrawal on Sunday evening had done a inspection of the dam area and issued necessary guidelines for development of the gardens.

During inspection, the Minister had raised objection on collection of entry fees from visitors at the entrance of the water reservoir area.

He had stated that it is not right to charge visitors from far-off rural areas for their visit and amusement.

Agrawal then directed Collector Bheem Singh to ensure that visitors are not charged any entry fee.

The Minister directed Superintendent Engineer to repair the rides, lights and other decorative pieces placed in the garden, built inside the water reservoir area.

Agrawal said that development of three gardens in the total dam area has been proposed, which includes one near vehicle parking and other two on the inner area.

It is noteworthy that for construction of these gardens, Water Resources Department will contribute nearly ` 10 crore and Chhattisgarh Tourism Board will contribute ` 25 crore to the budget.

Private sector agencies will be hired for technical support and guidance.

Notably, CTB is also developing integrated recreation facilities at the Gangrel dam in Dhamtari district and Hasdeo Bango dam in Korba district, officials stated.