Rajnagar: The Bhitarkanika National Park, considered one of the prime ecotourism destinations in the state, is all set to host Bhitarkanika Mahotsav (festival) from January 31 to attract tourists to the park.
Organised by the state government, the festival will be held at Nalitapatia area on Rajnagar-Bhitarkanika main road in Kendrapara district. With only a few weeks left for the festival to begin, preparations for the three-day-long extravaganza is going on at full speed at Rajnagar.
State tourism department has sanctioned a sum of Rs 10 lakh while Odisha Mining Corporation has sanctioned Rs 20 lakh to organise the Mahotsav.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony. The administration is chalking out an action plan under the supervision of Kendrapara Collector Samarth Verma, Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Sahoo and Rajnagar DFO Bikash Ranjan Dash to draw more tourists to the festival.