Bhubaneswar, May 4: Beautify and ensure security — is the mantra for turning the Dhauli foothills into a tourist site.

While the tourism department is planning to install 90 lamp posts in and around Dhauli to ensure better visibility at night, it feels security around the area needs to be stepped up to make the ongoing beautification drive a success.

In the past, the department had installed electrical poles in the area, but they somehow “vanished”, making the officials feel there was a need to enhance security.

As a result, the Khurda district administration has now planned to deploy professional security personnel to keep a round-the-clock vigil on the site where an international peace pagoda built with Japanese collaboration in 1972 is also located.

Culture and tourism secretary Ashok Kumar Tripathy, however, said the 12 security guards proposed to be deployed by the district administration would not be enough to keep a vigil in the 1.5 to 2-km area in the Dhauli foothills.

“We have asked the district administration to ensure more security personnel if there is any shortfall. We need to step up security there as we plan to develop the entire area into a major tourist site,’’ he said. A tourism official said: “The security agency to be deployed for 24X7 surveillance service there must be answerable if any theft takes place in the area.”

The Dhauli foothills are going to be transformed into a major theme park on Buddhism where many types of statues, including those of Lord Buddha, will be installed. While there will be 20 modern installations, five statues of sitting Buddha (of 5-foot height) and a 40-foot-long statue of sleeping Buddha will be installed in the park. There is also a development and revamp plan for the Dhauli lake and the entire surroundings at a cost of Rs 4 crore.

“Several Buddha statues of sitting posture have already arrived. The work on the statue of the sleeping Buddha is nearing completion in Cuttack. Landscaping for the beautification of the foothills will be over by October while beautification of the Dhauli Lake is also nearing completion. However, lack of security in the area still remains a major concern,” said senior engineer of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation J.K. Das.

Another tourism official said that the Dhauli Development Trust (DDT) was collecting toll from picnickers visiting the spot. It could continue to do the same from the picnickers so that the collected fees could be spent on welfare purposes. But, local residents and picnickers opposed to the idea as two gates were already collecting toll from them on the way from NH-203 up to the Dhauli foothills.

Local politician Rabi Maharana said: “The collection of toll from two gates by Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation and the DDT should be clubbed so that tourists have to pay toll only at one point. We have written letters in this regard to the district magistrate, the local MLA and other authorities concerned. But, any action is yet to be taken on this. However, if they fail to take action this time, we will be forced to agitate. We will be forced to stage a blockade on the road connecting the monument and NH-203.”

Maharana also alleged that some people were forcibly occupying rooms near the Dhabaleswar temple on Dhauli hills. However, both tourism and revenue department officials labelled it to be a case of infighting between two groups of local people.

Ekamra legislator Ashok Kumar Panda said: “The Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation tollgate should be shifted. A decision has already been taken in this regard.”