Paradip: Paradip port town is not only the gateway of India’s economy but also a treasure trove for tourists.
Tourists have already started coming to this port town to visit its several picture postcard locations. The footfall will go further once the New Year Day celebration frenzy sets in. Moreover, the school vacation is an added attraction.
There are many picturesque spots in the port town. One will first be welcomed at the entrance to the port city by a tourist spot popularly known as ancient Udayabata Dham.
Besides there are several places of interest for tourists including Pareshwar and Lokanath temple, Nehru Bungalow, mouth of Mahanadi river, Patharbandha, Manmada garden, state’s first multi-storeyed building, one of the largest fishing jetties in Asia, Paradip port, cargo ships, coastguard patrolling ships, sea beach, light house, aquatic animal museum, Doppler radar, science park, Smruti Udyan and maritime trade museum.
This apart, some visitors could also be interested to visit the plants and factories to know more about the mechanical work and other functions there.
The flow of the tourists has already started and they are thronging at gate no 4 to visit Paradip port and see ships. Despite having so many tourist spots, neither the administration nor the tourism department is taking any steps to make the visitor’s trip memorable.
Pollution and acute traffic are areas of concern on the 12-km long stretch from Do Chhaki (a square) to Nehru Bungalow. During hopping the places, the visitors usually have a layer of black dust on their clothes, forcing them to cut short their stay in the port town.
The sprinkling of water on the road to control the flying of dust is creating another problem. When water mixes with the dust, it creates a thick black mud that gets stick to the vehicles and dresses of the tourists.
The administration and tourist department have not taken steps to make the tourists aware of the route chart to visit all the places easily. The tourists are also not able to know about the picnic spots.
However, the municipality has constructed raised platforms at Nehru Bungalow for picnic purposes. The executive officer of the Paradip Municipality Dillip Kumar Mohanty said, “As of now school students are visiting science park without paying any fees. Steps have been taken for their safety. This apart, beautification of the sea beach and cement chairs have been constructed at the beach.”
When contacted, Jagatsinghpur district tourist officer Ranjan Kumar Das said, “A number of sign posts have been put up at strategic locations to make people know about the important tourist spots in Jagatsinghpur district. Steps will soon be taken on priority basis to do away with other problems,” he added.
PNN
