Gania: With the onset of winter, tourists from various parts of the state and the country have started visiting tourist sites in the state. Now the Satkosia Sands Resort and the Nature Camp at Badamul Manganasi of Chhamundia range under Nayagarh-Mahanadi Wildlife Division are ready with as many as 16 tents, three air-conditioned cottages and three tents on the sandbar of the Mahanadi river. The place is on the backdrop of the mountain slope overlooking the mighty Satkosia gorge. The facility was inaugurated by Nayagarh Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kshyama Sarangi in the presence of Chhamundia range officer Santosh Kumar Sahoo. “16 tents have been pitched in on the sand while work of four more air-conditioned tents is underway.
Some tourists were welcomed to the tourist site Tuesday with bouquets,” officials said. It was learnt that the tourism centre is being managed by Maa Satabhauni Parivesh Vikash Samiti. Its members had decorated the entry points with flowers and balloons. The department has made provision of jungle tracking, food, cycling, canopy walk, campfires, fold dance, sports, children’s park, cement chairs, umbrellas on the sand bed, and facilities for boating in Satkosia gorge, bird watching and crocodile spotting along with selfie points for tourists. It is said that a 100-metre canopy walk and Muduligadia Eco-village have turned out to be the major attractions for tourists now.
Notably, Badmul, the remote scenic forest village in Satkosia Tiger Reserve on the banks of river Mahanadi is attracting large number of nature lovers every year. The eco-tourism project at Badmul was started as a community-based nature tourism destination that has ultimately been seeing grand success for some years, except for the Covid pandemic period. With rise in the number of tourists, the income of the resort is on the rise.
Satkosia Sands resort has not only served as a livelihood option for the forest-dependent communities of the southern part of Satkosia sanctuary but also built self-confidence among the tribal population and rural women. It is said that people of nearly 6 villages are earning their livelihood from the single nature camp at Badmul (Bethiasahi). Earlier, many people from Badmul village used to migrate outside or depend on the minor forest produce for their livelihood including poaching and selling of meat of wild animals.