After being claimed to be a cleared zone by the State police, eco-tourism is likely to get a boost in Saranda forests of West Singbhum. Despite having immense tourism potential, Saranda till date has remained unexploited due to the series of Naxal activities in the area keeping it disturbed for over a decade. Forest department, in association with the local administration are planning to develop the area as a valley of flowers by encouraging floriculture along both sides of the road.
“We have already submitted a proposal with the State Government to develop the region suitable for eco-tourism, which is still under consideration. Meanwhile, the six forest rest houses, left condemned due Naxal attack and lack of funds are being made functional to be made available for the tourists visiting the place,” said DFO of Saranda Forest Division KK Tiwari. Proper landscaping will be done to make it suitable for the stay of tourists, he said.
The proposal submitted by the department includes setting up dormitories, raising watch towers at certain strategic locations, setting up entertainment complexes as well as trekking routes and orchidium to showcase the rare orchids available in region, added Tiwari. The DFO further added that there was also a plan to set up interpretation centers with audio visual facility depicting art and culture of the people living in the region.
“A squad of tourist guides will also be prepared involving the locals as well as eco-development committee, also providing them open vehicles for safari,” he said. Involvement of the locals will also help in checking deforestation by providing employment to them which will also encourage them for the conservation of forests around them, Tiwari added.
The priority of the forest officials however, is to make the forest motorable for which the forest roads, which were left neglected for so many years in Saranda are being cleared. In order to promote soil conservation along the road sides, the locals are also being encouraged for floriculture providing adequate irrigation facilities to them through natural resources.
According to Tiwari, man-animal conflict, which is rampant in the region, could also be averted as such off-beat cultivation of flower does not attract the tuskers to venture into human settlements. Developing the infrastructure of the region is on the top of the agenda of the forest officials, following which other facilities could gradually be made available for the tourists.
local activists on the other hand also claim that Saranda forests will prove to be a natural abode for the nature lovers, if developed in a proper and planned way. “With the change of circumstances as claimed by the State Government, we can now even go deep inside the jungles, which have still remained unexplored due to security related issues. This place has immense tourism potential as nature loving people would love to explore such places deep inside the lap of nature,” said proprietor of Santoor Resorts at Manoharpur Manjusha Ganguli.
The place needs to be explored, as it has hundreds of viewpoints having sight scenes along with the Karo River, said Ganguli. “It is a different world deep inside the Saranda jungles, which reflects a diverse landscape, if visited in different seasons,” she said. This is why people once visited the place, wants to come here again and again, she added. Ganguli further added that the view of ‘Palash’ flowers around the forest in the month of January-March is the USP of this area.
Besides that, there are also a number of small streamlets formed of seepage from the hilly rocks, which cannot be explained by words, she said. Though, the region has been cleared from left Wing Extremism, it needs to be given special attention by the state government, by developing infrastructure and checking deforestation which might affect the natural beauty of the region in the long run.
Moreover, the mindset of the people must also be changed by extensive awareness campaign for which certain groups willing to join the campaign might also be inducted, said Ganguali. Forests of Saranda cover an area of 820 square kilometers which literally means seven hundred hills. Thalkobad, located at a height of 550 km is considered to be the most scenic village in the heart of the forest.
Initially, before the dominance of CPI (Maoists) in the area, Saranda used to attract several tourists from across the Country, but with the increasing Naxal threat in the region, it witnessed a sudden decline in the number of visitors. District Police officials also believe that the place, if ensured security, could be developed as a tourist spot.