Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, June 2: The state tourism department, the Dhauli Development Committee (DDC) and other government bodies plan to make the experience of visitors to the famous Buddhist site of Dhauli a pleasant one.
The authorities have already taken measures to help boost the tourist footfall at the site by ensuring that the visit to the stupa is problem free.
In a measure that has come as a huge relief to the hundreds of visitors flocking to the site everyday, the authorities have eliminated one of the toll gates en route to the Dhauli stupa from the Bhubaneswar-Puri highway from June 1.
The toll gate, which located at the junction of Dhauli-Bhubaneswar-Puri highway and was managed by the Orissa Bridge Construction Corporation (OBCC) since 2005, was one of two toll gates situated within half a kilometre of each other.
Visitors to the stupa used to face inconvenience as they had to stop at two toll gates within such a short distance.
“This will provide lot of relief to visitors to Dhauli. Talks for eliminating the toll gate have been going on for a long time. We are happy that this has finally been done,” a DDC official said on condition of anonymity.
Several other measures are in the pipeline to ensure that the visitors enjoy their trip to Dhauli.
DDC also proposes to install CCTV cameras at various points en route and at the stupa to ensure the safety of the visitors. New dustbins are also being placed to facilitate easy removal of garbage at the site.
The committee also plans to hold a meeting with owners of makeshift shops soon to ensure that the shops are shifted away from the hill top.
The committee also plans to make proper use of the parking lot near the toll gate that was earlier managed by the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC), which has already decided to hand over the property to the state tourism department. However, the formalities are yet to be sorted out.
Steps such as construction of a ropeway from the parking lot to hill top, use of small battery operated vehicles from the parking lot to hill top, improving the lighting and seating arrangements near the stupa have already been taken by the department.
