Kosal Discussion and Development Forum

Tourism boost to Daringibadi

November 7, 2016 at 8:42 am sanjibkarmee Leave a comment

In peak winter, tourists throng Daringibadi, the picturesque hill town of Kandhamal district, to witness snow flakes as the place is aptly called the Kashmir of Odisha. But lack of infrastructure has been the major stumbling block in the way of tourist inflow.

The town received a tourism boost with the chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday opening a tribal museum at the hill-view park and laying foundation stone of a nature camp, an ecotourism project. The government has given much emphasis on development of tourism and horticulture in Kandhamal, said the chief minister.

Tribal dress, ornaments and musical instruments of Kandha and Kutia Kandha tribes have been displayed in the museum. Kutia Kandhas, one of the particularly vulnerable tribal groups, reside in Belaghara while Kandhas are found in almost all areas of the district.

The museum has been built on 1,100-sqft with an investment of Rs 30 lakh by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Baliguda. Almost all the exhibits have been collected from the tribals. Some more attractive items will be added to the museum soon, said Ramesh Chandra Behera, an official of ITDA, Baliguda.

Besides enjoying the nature’s bounty, one can witness the tribal customs in Daringibadi, a tourist destination, he added.

The nature camp, adjoining the existing nature park, is proposed to be set up with an investment of Rs 1.10 lakh by the forest department. The camp will have six cottages, a restaurant and facilities for trekking to the forests, said divisional forest officer (DFO), Baliguda, Kartik V.

Sprawled over four hectares, the nature park was developed by the forest department six months ago with an investment of Rs 55 lakh. The park has butterfly park, medicinal garden, 3D movie halls and display of lifesize images of wild animals apart from a peep into the traditions of Kutia Kandhas.

With these facilities, the tourism in the town will receive a major boost, said collector (Kandhamal) Reghu G. Generally the visitors throng the hill town during the peak winter to enjoy its cool climate.

The butterfly park, second of its kind in the state after Nandanakanan, has at least 15 host plants. While the butterfly park at Nandanakanan is a closed one, Daringibadi park is an open one, first of its kind in the state, said the DFO. Similarly, around 50 medicinal plant species have been planted in the medicinal garden.

Entry filed under: Boudh, Boudh-Charichhak-Puruna Katak-Charisambhu, Region watch, Tourism Zones.