Poor infra hits tourism potential of Keonjhar

Keonjhar: Keonjhar district is not only rich in minerals, it is a treasure trove of picturesque hills, waterfalls, temples and heritage sites. Sadly, poor infrastructure and amenities have affected the tourism potential of the region. As the Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat and the seven assembly segments under it vote on April 23, candidates here have hardly touched upon tourism in their campaigns.
“I wonder why all the candidates are raising issues such as poor healthcare, education, electricity, roads and unemployment in their public meetings and rallies. Such problems exist everywhere in the state. The candidates here are not raising area-specific issues. Though Keonjhar has tremendous tourism potential, it is not a poll issue,” said Prasana Patra, a tour operator.

Like Patra, other stakeholders associated with the hospitality industry in Keonjhar, which has a geographical area of around 8,303 square kilometre, expressed displeasure over the lack of priority given to tourism. “We are in dire need of good road connectivity to the tourist sites here. Tourists avoid visiting many areas because of the extremely poor condition of roads. We will be able to attract foreign tourists if we encourage hoteliers to set up luxury accommodation centres and other recreation units,” said Basant Praharaj, general manager of a hotel in Joda.

Keonjhar district has 16 destinations recognised and promoted by the tourism department. They include Ghatagaon temple, Murga Mahadev temple, Gundichaghai scenic spot and waterfalls like Badaghagra, Sanaghagara, Handibhanga and Khandadhar. The district has around 70 accommodation centres, mostly small hotels and guest houses. More than 24 lakh tourists, including 110 foreigners, visited the district last year, sources said.

“I had opened a juice store on the foothills of the Handibhanga waterfall last year but I was forced to shut it within three months due to poor footfall. Nobody can reach it because of bad roads. We hardly see any candidates in our village,” said Linga Gagarai, a resident of Jamupani village.

Contacted, candidates of different parties promised to promote tourism in Keonjhar if voted to power. “The overall development of Keonjhar is my priority. I realise the rich tourism potential of the area,” said BJD’s Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat candidate Chandrani Murmu.

The BJP’s nominee, Ananta Nayak, said, “We will create a special roadmap for development of tourism in Keonjhar.” The Congress’s Mohan Hembram too promised to give a fillip to the tourism sector in the district if he won.