(Clockwise from top left) A typical treehouse near the Balpakram National Park, which lies almost 3,000 feet above sea level. It is home to animals such as Asiatic elephants, the rare lesser panda and the golden macaw and is a veritable treasure trove of medicinal plants and herbs Pictures by Bidhayak Das

Balpakram (Garo hills), Feb. 12: It is viewed as a virtual goldmine, but even 18 months after pre-poll promises were generously made, Balpakram National Park has moved no closer to becoming a tourist hub.

Bad roads and lack of infrastructure might just push this sanctuary in the South Garo Hills district of Meghalaya out of the tourist map.

Before the last Lok Sabha elections, held one-and-a-half years ago, promises had been made to repair roads and develop infrastructure to market the park as an attractive tourist destination not only to the country, but the world.

The leaders have clearly failed to deliver.

The 200-square km Balpakram National Park lies at an altitude of nearly 3,000 ft above sea level. This biodiversity hotspot is home to animals such as Asiatic elephants, the rare lesser panda and the golden macaw and is a veritable treasure trove of medicinal plants and herbs.

However, not much has been done to develop the park so far.

This green paradise located 300 km from the Meghalaya capital, has the potential to become a major tourist destination, generating revenue for the state and providing employment to many.

?We are fed up with the empty promises which are made by politicians to develop our area. We have been hearing this every year but once elections are over everything is forgotten,? said Medison Marak, who lives near the park.

Marak recalled that during the last Lok Sabha elections, political parties had camped in Baghmara, close to Balpakram, and promised ?just about everything? to develop the area.

?Some politicians even blamed themselves for not realising the potential of this area, which they called ?the goldmine?. We know for sure that there are MP and MLA schemes to develop rural areas, but we are not given the details of how such benefits could be utilised to our advantage,? said O.M. Shira, a resident of neighbouring Makadeo village.

The park has a special place in mythology as well, as it is believed that Hanuman came to Balpakram to collect the live-giving sanjeevani herb to cure the critically injured Lakshman.

There are a number of other interesting tales associated with it too.

The name of the park literally means ?land of perpetual winds? and the Garos believe their spirits exist in its sprawling forests after death.

The sanctuary also has a deep gorge that local residents often compare to the Grand Canyon.

Balpakram was accorded national park status nearly two decades ago, in 1987, but apart from a couple of rundown bungalows set up by the state?s tourism and forest department, there is little infrastructure evidence of development.

Although the park attracts researchers from across the world, its tourism potential lies sadly untapped.