If government mandarins walk the talk, the birthplace of Birsa Munda will see a touristy makeover sometime in the near future.
The tourism department is learnt to have hired conservation consultants for not just Ulihatu, but also Dombari Buru - the adjoining hill from where the freedom hero declared his ulgulan (mutiny) against the British more than a century ago - and Sutiambe Hill, yet another site of historical significance on Ranchi-Pithoria highway.
State tourism secretary Avinash Kumar confirmed that they had roped in two separate consultants for the twin sites of Ulihatu and Sutiambe with the dual purpose of conservation and development.
"We selected the Ranchi-based agencies three weeks ago. Both are empanelled with the public works department. They will prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for conservation and from the tourism point of view," he said, excusing himself for not remembering the names of the agencies.
Situated some 50km from Ranchi, Ulihatu and Dombari Buru in Khunti district hold immense significance for Jharkhand given their association with tribal legend Birsa, but continue to cry for preservation and progress.
On the other hand, Sutiambe Hill - 20km from the state capital - is known to be an archaeological treasure trove, the region being the erstwhile capital of the Nagvanshi rulers of Chotanagpur in the first century AD. There exist several old temples dedicated to Surya and Shiva; caves of the Munda tribe; and many yet-to-be-explored hollows in the hills. Such historical importance notwithstanding, Sutiambe continues to languish in neglect.
That the twin sites will have brighter future anytime soon is also suspect because the tourism department hasn't specified any deadline to the agencies for submitting their conservation and development plans.
The tourism secretary contended that both conservation and development was a continuous process. "However, the consultants have been told to prepare their plans as soon as possible. We are serious on these projects. Thus, the chief secretary was informed about hiring of consultants last (Monday) evening," he said.
But, given our government's dubious reputation on projects and deadlines, it is hard to say when the iconic sites will live up to expectations.
Insiders in the tourism department said both Ulihatu-Dombari Buru and Sutiambe Hill had seen the DPR process in the past, but to no avail.
In 2012-13, the Ranchi circle of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was given Rs 10 lakh for conservation of Ulihatu-Dombari Buru. Superintendent archaeologist of ASI-Ranchi H.K. Naik said they had undertaken the project for just a year following government request. "As far as I can recall right now, we completed conservation of the hilltop among other things," he added.
Earlier, in 2006, BIT-Mesra had prepared a conservation plan for Sutiambe after many field studies and deliberations with the state government, but no one in the present dispensation seems to know what happened to that project either.
