KEONJHAR, INDIA: Bhimkunda, a natural waterfall on the Baitarani, presents an excellent opportunity to attract tourists to the mineral-rich Keonjhar district, but the district administration has not taken any initiative in this regard over the years.

The waterfall, situated along the Keonjhar-Mayurbahnj border, falls under Dumuria gram panchayat area of Patna block of Keonjhar. Every year, thousands of tourists from the state and other parts of the country visit the place. However, owing to lack of basic tourism facilities and publicity, the full tourism potential of the place has not been fully tapped. At most, visitors organize picnics around the falls.

Now that local villagers have formed a society “Bhimkund Development Samiti (BDS)” to develop the area, Keonjhar collector Bishnu Prasad Sahu and other officials visited the area recently and prepared a master plan for the development of Bhimkunda with help from locals. BDS organizes tribal cultural fests for tourists here, especially during the New Year’s Eve.

Confirming the development, collector B P Sahu said, “We have a plan to develop the area as a tourist hot spot. For that we need to have better communication to the spot. Hence, we have decided to develop the Mangalpur?Bhimkund rural road, Panikoili Raja Munda, NH-215, the NH-49 and the Ranchi?Bijayawada highway. Besides, a big welcome gate will be built near the Mangalpur village at a cost of Rs 11 lakh. Electrification work and construction of a drinking water plant will also be taken up soon.

Sources said the district administration also plans to construct a hanging bridge and rope-way system over the waterfall. This, locals said, would serve two purposes ? it will improve communication between Kaonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts and enable tourists have a breathtaking view of the falls from the top.

“The waterfall is surrounded by hills and greenery. If it is developed as a tourist destination, the struggling socio-economic condition of the district will get a major boost,” said a Alekh Patra, a nature lover and a retired central government employee.