Luxury holiday in lap of nature - State to spend Rs 8 crore for hot water spa in Hazaribagh, watchtower in Khunti & museum in Chatra

Ranchi, Sept. 25: It is all about fine living — spas, saunas and coffee kiosks. The tourism department is investing a handsome Rs 8 crore to make the state’s natural getaways all the more luxurious for tourists.

A hot water spa at Surajkund in Barkatha of Hazaribagh district, a museum to welcome devotees on the Maa Bhadrakali Temple campus in Itkhori, Chatra, and an information kiosk, watchtower and restaurant at the Panchaghagh falls near Murhu in Khunti district are so far part of the state’s tourism blueprint.

All the projects are expected to be completed within a year. The department has invited bids from qualified contractors to execute them within the stipulated time.

The last date to respond to the tourism department’s invitation is October 13, 2009.

“There will be a restaurant and a view gallery atop Trikut. Surajkund has a hot water pond containing sulphur that has healing properties. We want to set up spas, saunas, massage parlours, restaurants and convention halls here,” said state tourism secretary Arun Kumar Singh. Surajkund is located about 80km from Hazaribagh. An annual fair is organised here in the month of January.

According to plans, the Panchghagh waterfalls will soon get a kiosk, a restaurant, toilets, fastfood joints, lighting facilities and a watchtower. Lying on the Khunti-Chaibasa road, Panchghagh is famous for its landscape.

While the proposed museum at Itkhori will have artefacts belonging to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism sects besides a library and a 50-seater capacity auditorium. The village, which lies to the north of Hazaribagh, is home to many Buddhist relics, dating back to 200BC to 1200AD.

Facilities at Trikut Pahar will approximately cost about Rs 60 lakh. Construction of museum at Itkhori would cost Rs 2.24 crore while development of Surajkund has been approved at a whopping Rs 4.39 crore. For development of Panchghagh waterfalls, a sum of Rs 1.37 crore has been earmarked.

Recently, the state’s first ropeway service kicked off in Trikut, during the holy month of Shravan.