Rajnagar: Bhitarkanika, Odisha’s first national park and one of the state’s most celebrated natural attractions, is set for a makeover to provide a fillip to tourism. Despite its rich ecological wealth, Bhitarkanika National Park’s tourism infrastructure has lagged behind other popular destinations in Odisha. Successive governments have announced plans for its development, but work never fully took off. Now, the state government has planned to make Bhitarkanika a premier ecotourism destination.
Following Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s recent announcement for its development, Tourism Secretary Balwant Singh has spent two days surveying Bhitarkanika and its entry points. Singh visited Bhitarkanika and the surrounding areas to assess the park’s current condition. According to official sources, the state will soon prepare a master plan to revamp the park and allocate necessary funding. In addition to Bhitarkanika, Singh is set to visit nearby spots like Gupti, Khola, Chandbali and Dhamara. The purpose of the tour is to evaluate available government land and plan potential tourism projects across these locations. A detailed master plan is expected to be drafted shortly to kick-start development work. With the increasing number of tourists visiting Pentha beach, a Blue Flag beach will be developed there, officials said. Jetties will also be constructed at Gupti, Khola, Dangamal, Bhitarkanika, Chandbali, Jaynagar Ghat and Kasturikana. At Dangamal’s creek area, a footpath will be made with paver blocks, and a similar entry gate will be built at the Dangamal entry point. An interpretation centre and food court will also come up, along with a parking lot near Aranya Nivas, the forest rest house.
The district administration has been directed to submit a report detailing the availability of government land at these sites to support the planned infrastructure development. DFO Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav, ADM Manas Kumar Das, Eastern Division Superintendent Engineer Ratikanta Behera, Assistant Executive Engineer Krupasindhu Dhal, Assistant Engineer Biswa Ranjan Swain, and other officials have inspected these sites over a two-day visit.