Long way for Gazoldoba

A portion of the tourist hub at Gazoldoba. Picture by Passang Yolmo

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Aug 30, 2018, Siliguri: Tourists have to content themselves with stay at cottages when Bhorer Alo, the mega tourism hub being developed at Gazoldoba near the Teesta Barrage, opens during the coming Durga Puja.

Other facilities which the Bengal government has planned on the site, around 25km from here, are yet to be ready.

"We have readied six eco cottages at Gazoldoba and they will be opened for tourists ahead of the Durga Puja. One of the cottages will be reserved for VIPs, while others will be made available for tourists. Also, two tents will be set up for the tourists to enjoy their stay," said an official of the tourism department.

The cottages have come up on an eight-acre plot and Rs 1.5 crore was spent by the department.

State tourism minister Gautam Deb iterated that the first phase of the project would be inaugurated before Durga Puja. The date of the inauguration will be finalised soon, he said.

However, other facilities like jungle safari in Baikunthapur forest, elephant ride, boating on the Teesta and its canal, angling and cycling through the jungle are unlikely to be introduced along with the cottages.

"The tourism department has not yet received clearance from the irrigation department to start boating on the Teesta. The jungle safari cannot be launched as construction of the road that will connect the Bengal Safari Park with Gazoldoba through Baikunthapur forest is yet to be completed," said an official.

The tourism hub is considered a dream project of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and is coming up on a 208-acre land. The project was taken up around two years back.

In July this year, while visiting north Bengal, the chief minister had expressed displeasure over the slow progress of the work on the project site.