Chandikhole: Although the Tourism department has been spending crores of rupees to boost the sector by developing various facilities for visitors in Jajpur district, many such facilities are lying defunct for years together. Seven such tourist centres in Barchana locality have turned into ‘haunted houses’, said sources.
These tourism sites have remained locked for a substantial period now and are unfit for use now. Crores of rupees spent on these centres have gone down the drain, locals lamented. Reports said there are a number tourist sites like Shaivite Shrine Mahavinayak, Chhatiabata, Chandikhole’s Chandi Mandir, Amarabati, Olasuni, Gangi and Udaygiri (part of Diamond Triangle) in Barchana.
Various facilities have been developed at these places but they are wallowing in neglect due to lack of maintenance and upkeep. A roadside facility centre at Chandi Mandir lies unused and has turned into a safe haven for anti-social elements at night.
A panthasala (guest house) built at a cost of over Rs 50 lakh on the foothill of Mahavinayak for tourists has been left completely neglected. “What is the use of making such facility at a huge cost when it is not used for tourists,” rued locals. Another glaring example is Olasuni where the tourist facility was built at a cost of Rs 35 lakh in 2014. The centre has remained locked since the day of its inauguration. It has not opened for the tourists for a single day. Besides, a duplex constructed at a cost of Rs 48 lakh on the hilltop of Olasuni in 2015 lies in an abandoned state.
The Odisha government has also spent several crores in developing facilities for the Diamond Triangle (Ratnagiri-Lalitagiri and Udaygiri) to attract tourists from different parts of India and abroad. One of such facilities is a two-storied complex (14 rooms) with sprawling lawn.
The facility was built at a cost of Rs 50 lakh at Patarajpur for accommodation of foreign and domestic tourists in 2002 and it was handed over to a private agency to look after. However, in 2010, the private agency did not renew the contract. Now, the tourist centre is not fit for use anymore due to lack of maintenance.
In 2012, tourist reception centres at Udaygiri and Patararajpur had been handed over to private agencies. The two centres were managed successfully. The agencies gave up their management three years ago and now these two centres are also lying neglected. The Tourism department has appointed four security guards for the two centres. Locals alleged that since 2021, the security personnel have not been seen.
On one hand, the government has planned to develop various other facilities to boost tourism in Udaygiri, Langudi and Ratnagiri at a cost of Rs 8 crore. However, it has failed to make proper use of facilities already built. Locals lamented that cores of rupees are being spent in the name of tourism development, but the facilities are not harnessed properly. Our reporter tried to contact the district tourism officer over phone, but the latter did not respond to the calls