Jamshedpur, May 18: After Patamda in East Singhbhum, the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the state government’s tourism consultant, has shifted its focus to West Singhbhum.
It plans to develop tourism infrastructure in two other important destinations — the Hirni falls and the Samij Ashram near Chakradharpur. Tourism department sources said a high-level team comprising senior ITDC officials, state tourism director Sanoj Kumar Jha and tourism secretary S.K. Choudhary inspected Hirni falls and Samij Ashram today. Sources said the officials’ visit is considered important as both the tourism department and ITDC are confident of developing tourism apparatus at these places to attract more tourists.
During his visit to West Singhbhum, chief minister Arjun Munda is likely to visit Samij Ashram and hold talks with the tourism and ITDC officials to develop the necessary infrastructure.
The Samij Ashram was founded in 1975 by Swami Swarupanand Saraswati, the Sankaracharya from the Jabalpur-based Ganga Ashram. The ashram, officially known as Sree Sree Sankaracharya Banabasi Ashram, is located 10 km from Posoita railway station in West Singhbhum. The picturesque Hirni falls is located nearly 40 km from Chakradharpur. Three streams cascading down a height of 150 feet through a bed of dense undergrowth makes Hirni a popular tourist attraction.
When contacted, a senior ITDC official A.B. Kumar, told The Telegraph from Ranchi that both the sites have tremendous potential for tourism projects.
According to him, the only place to stay near Hirni falls is the public works department guest house at Hesadih, nearly 3 km from the falls. “Keeping in view the inflow of tourists at Hirni falls throughout the year, we are planning to develop tourist complexes and cottages to accommodate more tourists. Besides, plans are also on the anvil to build approach roads to the falls,” he said, adding that a proposal would be submitted to the tourism department after inspection. Referring to Samij Ashram, located on the confluence of the rivers Koel and Karo, two, Kumar said the ashram has a historical significance as Raja Jaychandra Singh of Anandpur had donated the plot for the ashram.
According to Kumar, though there are plenty of rooms for visitors at the ashram, it is difficult to accommodate the crowd during the 10-day annual festival in October.
“We plan to build cottages and tourist complexes in and around the ashram and develop metalled roads so that tourists can easily reach the spot,” he said, adding that over 80,000 tourists visit the place during the festival.The temple authorities had also built a 100-bed hospital at the ashram complex, which was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in 1995. ITDC officials have sent a report to its headquarters in New Delhi informing top officials about the protests by local people opposing the proposed tourism project in Patamda.
