CPI(ML) activists stage dharna at Khandoli against the hike in entry fees in Giridih. File picture

Giridih, Jan. 9: Khandoli Dam, one of the main tourist destinations in Giridih district, is in the eye of a storm following imposition of allegedly high entrance fee on the park beside it.

The government had taken steps to develop tourism in the state at the dam, Parasnath Hills and Usri Falls. Of the three, Khandoli, the nearest from the district headquarters, attracts thousands of visitors every year.

However, in a controversial decision, the administration last year leased out the land adjacent to Khandoli for 30 years to a businessman, Pramod Kumar, to develop it into an amusement park.

Problem began when the government allowed Kumar to impose an entrance fee of Rs 10 on every visitor to the park. Soon all quarters protested against the decision, claiming that there was no such high entrance fee at any tourist destination in the state.Kumar was forced to reduce the fee to Rs 8. But the issue did not end there and from time to time, various parties held demonstrations for revoking of the fee.