The government plans to develop waterfalls as tourist hotspots

Ranchi, Dec. 2: After promising to encourage tourism around forests, the government has now focused on waterfalls.

The tourism department has sanctioned Rs 3.4 crore for “largescale development” of all waterfalls in the state to ensure a regular flow of tourists. The work will be carried out in collaboration with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

Of the amount sanctioned, Rs 1 crore goes to Dasham Falls. Jonha will get Rs 90 lakh while Rs 1.5 crore has been set aside for Hundru. The plan includes the development of the whole area, which falls in the Ranchi district, and make it “tourist-friendly”.

Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation also plans to develop Madhuban in Parasnath. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 3.93 crore for the project while the state tourism department has allocated Rs 1.69 crore. The project includes the setting up of a tourist complex and a bus terminus in the area and work is expected to start by December-end.

Tourism director Sanoj Kumar Jha said: “We have been thinking about this plan for quite sometime. There are many waterfalls in and around Ranchi and they are an attraction for the tourists. If we try and make the entire area more beautiful and friendly, it will attract more visitors.”

ITDC regional manager A.B. Kumar said the development of infrastructure was his first priority. “Right now we are concentrating on the development of infrastructure in and around these falls. Hundru is at an altitude and people coming in find it difficult to move about. In the first phase, we are renovating the steps leading to the fall. We will make each step four to five inches high so that tourists find it easy to climb. This is a costly affair,” he said.

“Dasham has some problems because of the villages around. We are not going to star work unless the problems are solved by the administration. We are not going to take any risk by starting of the work unless the problems are solved as the investment involved is huge,” Kumar added.

ITDC will begin with Hundru. For starters, there will be a children’s park and modern parking lots for vehicles. Adequate drinking water facilities will be provided. There will also be an open-air restaurant in each of these places. Some pathways will also be constructed while a tourist bungalow will be built.

“Hundru is the only place where people really want to stay. It has some tourist bungalows. We will construct one more bungalow with all facilities and also develop the older ones. An open-air restaurant will be constructed at Dasham. We will start the work at Hundru within 15 days,” said an official.

Of late, the security at these falls has come under a shadow. Admitting this, Kumar said: “Security is a problem but the responsibility lies with the state government. We cannot do much about it. But the security problem should be sorted out at the earliest.”

The guesthouse at Dasham, which has been in a dilapidated condition for long, will be converted into a cafeteria. ITDC officials said the building, which belongs to the forest department, has not been looked after well and the corporation will have to take care of that as well.