Simlipal forest to become eco-tourism hotspot

Baripada, Sep 4 (UNI) Visitors heading for the Simlipal hill forests where nature nestles itself in the folds of hills, are set to get the taste of 'eco-tourism' soon.

The Mayurbhanj district administration has mooted an ambitious master plan for eco-tourism involving local communities. This plan, the district administration felt would support the livelihood of the local communities, and would create their direct stakes in conseiring local culture, ecology and environment.

The project is being so designed as to assure that the negative impacts on the cultural and natural environment are minimised and mitigated, official sources said.

Collector and district magistrate of Mayurbhanj V Kartikeya Pandian said the community-based eco-tourism would also help in creating better understanding and worldview about the state.

Moreover, with the rising consciousness about rural livelihoods and conservation, -both cultural and environmental- this unique genetic treasury of the wild would beacon a large number of responsible tourists who would make this reserve a prime tourists' destination.

There are also immense possibilities for trekking for adventure loving tourists, he added.

The tranquillity in the denseness of Simlipal is pregnant with soft lulling whispers. It is four dimensional and soaks deep into the marrows to generate a type of relaxation that lingers long after you are back from the hills and get restless to renew your visit to the hills again.

The sweet melodies of Simlipal soothe the care worn nerves, the district administration further said.

With its varied flora and fauna that attract nearly 20,000 tourists annually to this tiger abode, Simlipal gives shelter to the primitive tribes like the Khadias, Mankdias, Kolhas and Santals all of whom make the hill forests - an anthropologists' delight.

Pandian said the master plan for eco-tourism aimed at attracting at least one lakh tourists over a period of year and ensure benefits to nearly two-thousand local tribes inhabiting the forests and its periphery.

The project cost is estimated at RS 50 lakh, sources added.

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