The damaged Tampara Boat Club near Chhatrapur. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Berhampur, Oct. 19: Cyclone Phailin has ravaged the Tampara Boat Club near Chhatrapur.

The 5.8-km-long and 670-metre-wide wetland had tremendous tourism potential and was used for water-sports and boating.

“Two floating jetties with platforms, two water scooters, six pedal boats and seven rowing boats have been damaged. The cyclone also blew away 22 decorative fibre electric light posts, a 20KV sub-station and five life jackets kept inside a room,” said Ganjam district tourist officer Sanatan Nayak.

The main buildings of the boat club, its dining hall and a kitchen, which were built at a cost of Rs 73 lakh, were badly damaged along with toilets, furniture and tents.

Trees on both sides of the jetty were uprooted by the storm. Uprooted trees and animal carcasses are still floating in the lake, said the boat club’s caretaker K.C. Satpathy.

About 50 tourists, who came to the boat club today, witnessed the sorry sight.

M. Nageswar Rao, 48, a tourist from Sompeta in Andhra Pradesh, said: “I visit the spot every year and today, I was shocked to find what the cyclone has reduced it to.”

“The government should immediately step in and restore the boat club,” he said.

The Tampara Boat Club, which is located 25km from here, was inaugurated on March 22, 2006. The Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) is in charge of its maintenance.

There is a rush of tourists to the boat club between November and February every year.

There is an immediate need to restore power supply to the boat club so that rebuilding can start, said Satpathy.

Apart from the boat club, Panthika, the guest house managed by the OTDC, was also damaged by the cyclone.

“The glass fittings on the main gate of the guest house, windows, furniture and several other equipment have been badly damaged,” said the tourist officer, adding that they were making a detailed assessment of loss and would shortly submit it to the district collector.