Naxal-hit C’garh forest turning into tourism hub, offering new means of livelihood to tribals
Walking on dirt tracks inside a remote dense forest of Keshkal in Chhattisgarh, one is surprised on suddenly hearing the sound of gushing waterfalls, most of which were unexplored till some time back.
Tribals residing in remote villages of this pristine forest, flanked by hills and covered with Sal trees, which had been infamous for Naxal activities, never imagined that these natural water bodies would make the place a sought-after tourist destination and serve as a means of livelihood for them. Located around 170 km from the state capital Raipur, Keshkal falls in Kondagaon, one of the seven districts of the Bastar region — which is the severely affected by the Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
Bastar is full of natural beauty. People normally visit Chitrakote, the majestic waterfall located in neighboring Bastar district, popularly called the Niagra of India, but other areas like Keshkal are yet to be explored from the tourism point of view, local villager Deepak Netam said. The initiative taken by the local administration last year to promote tourism involving local tribal communities has now started yielding results, said the 21-year-old tribal, who is a member of one such panel.
Netam hails from Honhed village, located about 15 km from Keshkal, where the sound of ‘Katulkasa’ waterfall can be heard from a considerable distance. “One member each from all 50 families, mostly belonging to the Gond tribe of Honhed, is part of the Katulkasa waterfall tourism committee and six people are deputed at a time on a rotational basis,” said Netam, who passed Class 12 from a state-run Eklavya residential school in Bhairamgarh (Bijapur district).
In March this year, Naxals burnt at least 12 vehicles, mostly trucks, engaged in road construction works in Kuyemari village, where ‘Kodakal’, one of the most picturesque waterfalls of the area, is located. But, it did not deter tourists from coming to the area, and around 5,000 people visited the waterfall in last three months, Kuyemari tourism committee’s Mahesh Kumar Hidko said.
The initiative taken by the local administration last year to promote tourism has now started yielding results