Chamakdangi of Baikunthapur near Teesta river site to have tourism cottages

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Siliguri: Chamakdangi, a tiny hamlet nestled amid the green cover of Baikunthapur forests on the banks of the Teesta, is the latest site in north Bengal in the focus of the state tourism department.

Located about 25km from here, the village will soon have eco-friendly cottages for tourists.

"We have identified the village as one of prospective hotspots of the region. It can be developed into an attractive tourist destination. Initially, we will construct 20 cottages with all facilities," state tourism minister Gautam Deb said here on Thursday.

"The project will be completely eco-friendly and only tin and timber would be used to make the cottages. We will install solar panels for power supply, make arrangements for water supply and will also develop a road that leads to the village from the highway," Deb added.

The village falls under Dabgram-I panchayat of Rajganj block in Jalpaiguri district and is under the Dabgram-Fulbari Assembly constituency. Deb is the MLA of this constituency.

It is located 5km off NH 31 and the road leading to the vil- lages passes through forests. Sources said back in 2011, the NB development department had tried to introduce rural tourism at Chamakdangi but could not succeed due to some environmental issues.

"We are preparing a detail project report for the project. The entire initiative will be taken with due consideration that there should not be any impact on the environment. Even the road would be developed without disturbing the forest cover," said the minister.

Added to Chamakdangi, the department has identified another location only 12km from Siliguri and located close to the Bengal Safari Park. The park is located off NH 31 on way to Sevoke.

Turibari, a village that is behind the park area and on the bank of Mahananda river, is the site where the department will spent around Rs 3.50 crore to build cottages and carry out some landscaping.

"A road and a bridge have to be built for better connectivity to the village. We are confident that such offbeat sites will pull in visitors, particularly because the park is nearby. Also, both locations are on way to the hills and the Dooars," said Deb.