Jamshedpur, May 27: The forest department has proposed to rebuild three guest houses in Saranda which had been demolished by Naxalites during their reign at the sal reserve that was reclaimed by security forces last year.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Saranda K.K. Tiwary told The Telegraph, “We have plans to reconstruct two guest houses at Thalkobad and Manoharpur and renovate the one at Baraiburu.”

The DFO said the guest houses at Thalkobad and Manoharpur — both in the core area of Saranda — would be rebuilt at the costs of Rs 50 lakh and Rs 40 lakh respectively. On the other hand, Rs 10 lakh will be spent on renovation of the partially damaged Baraiburu guest house in the buffer zone of the forest in West Singhbhum district.

“The retreat at Thalkobad, in the heart of Saranda, will be a replica of the guest house which was razed to the ground by Maoists. The reconstruction will be done by the forest department while sticking to the original look of the guest house,” said Tiwary.

Forest officials are looking for a new spot to set up a building in place of the damaged guesthouse at Manoharpur.

Between 2002 and 2005 when Naxalism in Saranda was at its peak, the rebels had razed four forest guest houses, as they often sheltered security forces who were engaged in combing operations.

Besides Thalkobad and Manoharpur, guest houses at Kumdi (in Gua range) and Tirilposi were also destroyed completely by Naxalites.

At present, the guest house at Kiriburu — also in the buffer zone — is the only secure shelter belonging to the forest department.

The department had sent a similar proposal to the state government last year for reconstruction and renovation of damaged guest houses. However, despite forest clearances, the delayed proposal (November 2011) failed to get an approval from the government.

The DFO said they would send the renewed proposal to the additional principal chief conservator of forest (development) and also approach the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority for funds.

The proposal would be sent to the government departments concerned within a couple of days, he added.

The forest officer hoped the guest house revamp plan would go hand in hand with the construction of six CRPF camps, which is set to begin from June 1, that promises to throw a security blanket for triggering development activities in the erstwhile Maoist stronghold.

The forest department’s proposal is also aimed at reviving tourism in Saranda.

According to Tiwary, queries by prospective visitors and eco-tourists continue to pour in from various parts of the country, although tourists no longer turn up inside the forest, which shelters a number of animal species.

“Apart from bringing tourism back on track, we want to revive the lost glory of Saranda, which held importance earlier for hosting training programmes before inducting officials into the forest department,” said the DFO.