Bastar received drastically lesser number of tourists this Dussehra in comparison to previous years, thanks to terror of Maoist insurgents prevalent in the area keeping visitors away.
This has of course taken toll on hotel industry in this southern part of Chhattisgarh as more than half of the hotel rooms are still awaiting occupants even if the busiest season 'Dussehra festival' is now inching towards its completion.
The same situation is with the motels constructed at Chitrakote and are in dilapidated state within short period due to lack of proper upkeep. Tourists do not want to stay in Bastar, specially after the May 25 massacre of Congress leaders and workers by Maoists at Jeeram Valley.
Notably, to witness the unique Bastar Dussehra, earlier large number of tourists from West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and even from outside the country used to visit Jagdalpur. Such have been the craze of Dussehra that people even readily stayed in basements of hotels when there was no room left out of advance bookings. This year however hotels have reported just 10 per cent occupancy. People related to tourism and hotel industry assign this fall in tourists to regular news of Maoist violence appearing in both Print as well as Electronic media.
This has created a negative image of Bastar outside and most of the tourists now prefer keeping away from here. The state administration too has not only made the Bastar Dussehra celebration a mere formality, but also did not make any effort to lure tourists, not even a tourist centre was opened at railway station or bus stand. On the occasion of Dussehra too tourism department's involvement in any sphere remained invisible let aside putting up its stall in the main function.
Secretary of Hotels Association Feroz Bastaria laments, "There were days when tourists in thousands reached Jagdalpur to witness the grand function of Dussehra and thereafter visited the Natural treasures of Bastar like Tirathgarh and Chitrakote Falls, Kotamsar caves and Barsur's ancient temples. But now thanks to the apathy of tourism department and terror of Maoist insurgency, the number of tourists has come down to less than hundred. In a busy season like Dussehra, the hotel occupancy is now limited to 10 per cent," he rued.