No bid for road to tour sites

The Teesta barrage at Gazoldoba

TT, Siliguri: The state government's plan to build a road linking two tourist attraction - the under-construction Gazoldoba site and Bengal Safari Park - has hit a hurdle with no firm willing to respond to a tender because of frequent movement of elephants.

Sources in the forest department said no construction firm had submitted bids for the 12km road through the Baikunthapur forest and Saraswatipur Tea Garden as there were fears that elephant herds would pose problems to the work.

The state tourism department is developing an ambitious tourism project on 208 acres on the bank of the Teesta river, about 30km from here. There are plans to set up budget hotels, resorts, health spa, aviary and an institution of hospitality management at the project. The Safari Park, located on the outskirts of Siliguri, has already got huge response from tourists. This has prompted the tourism and forest department to connect the tourism hub and the Park through the Baikunthapur forest and Saraswatipur Tea Garden by constructing a 12km road so that the tourists can enjoy wildlife at the park and jungle ride by a car safari.

"Our plan is to develop the road without disturbing the nature. As per the plan we have decided not to construct a concrete road. Only boulders will be used for it. There will be couple of culverts are also required in the proposed road so that the tourists can go conveniently and enjoy the car safari," sources in the tourism department said.

As a part of the plan the forest department floated a tender for building the road in the proposed route. But, the department got poor response, as no firm showed interest in carrying out the construction work. Sources said frequent movement of elephant was one of the major reasons that have stalled the construction of the road.