Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 19: The state department of tourism has now planned to bring about some changes in the administration of Dhauli, besides implementing plans, such as introducing light and sound show and constructing a ropeway to boost tourism at the ancient Buddhist stupa situated at the outskirts of the city.
In a letter to the district collector, Khurda, who is also chairman of the Dhauli Development Committee (DDC), the state tourism director has mentioned some immediate steps that need to be taken. These include the handing over of the infrastructure created by the OTDC Dhauli to the state tourism department for management and operation, while giving the DDC the task to bolster the work of illuminating the site and managing it.
A copy of the letter, which is in possession of Orissa Post also mentioned the handing over of the management of the garden at Dhauli to the DDC. At present the OTDC manages the garden. The letter also asked the district collector to step up the work related to the shifting of shops at the top of the hill to remove unnecessary hurdles to the free movements of visitors at the tourist site.
The department, however, is working hard to add more attractions to the ancient site. According to the officials of the tourism department, many new attractions are in the offing for the visitors who are keen to visit this Buddhist site. Talking to Orissa Post, S S Rath, tourist officer, department of tourism, said, “We are planning to add light and sound show at the historic site to attract more tourists. The system will help in telling the visitors about the rich history of the site and will make them aware about the different facets of the site. This system already exists in places like Jaipur and the Purana Quila in New Delhi.”
He also said that the department was trying to make seating arrangements for around 200-240 visitors in order to make their visit more comfortable and to make life easier for the elders and the physically challenged who came to the site. The tourist officer said they were waiting for the approval, after which, the process to install these facilities would take around two to three months.
These are in addition to the plan to construct a ropeway at the Dhauli hills, for which the tourism department has already written a letter to IDCO asking them to make an estimate for the work. An amount of `1crore has already been sanctioned by the department for the same.
Sangeeta Patel, a resident of Nayapalli said, “ I always take my guests to the site. People love to enjoy the calmness there. But we face some problems. We have to wait really long for a public transport to visit the site. Hope the plan to construct the ropeway and other development plans are implemented as soon as possible, so that the connectivity problem does not prevent us from visiting Dhauli.”
