SHILLONG: Poor connectivity plagues remote Ranikor, a potential tourist spot in South West Khasi Hills which has unique features.
Long distance from the state capital coupled with hazardous road condition deters the tourists from flocking the border village. The village has some exotic locations like the Jadugoda River which comes with a beach, which can be an attraction for any visitor.
There is already a yacht at the bank of Jadugoda river which can be booked for cruising, but the residents say that there is hardly any takers as the visitors are far and few.
However, a religious shrine near the Border Outpost of BSF at Ranikor has some visitors.
The scenic place has the potential to be developed as a favourite destination of picnickers, but the tourists usually do not prefer to visit the place as they have to travel the long 121 kilometers of uneven and hazardous road.
A visit to Ranikor by this reporter revealed that there are broken roads right from Mawsynram till Ranikor. Moreover, the roads are so narrow that it becomes risky for vehicles to cross.
Besides, there is no retention wall on the side of the road to prevent vehicles from falling into deep gorges in case of an accident. Another nightmare for the commuters is the weak wooden bridges which can collapse any time.
A visitor to Rainkor said, “The place is simply beautiful and if there was a proper road, I am sure Ranikor would have been the most favourite tourist destination in Meghalaya.”
The residents of Ranikor also say that the Government should now start proper construction of the road for the benefit of the people.
Ranikor deserves a good road since the area shares an international border with neighbouring Bangladesh and if a proper road comes up, it would be of tremendous help for the people of Ranikor as well as the BSF, the villagers said.
Since Ranikor is around 121 kilometers from Shillong, it takes almost five hours to reach the place and driving at night is risky.
Speaking to reporters, the BSF Meghalaya Frontier IG Sudesh Kumar said that the Union Government has sanctioned around 450 kms of Indo-Bangla Border roads out of which around 200 kms have been completed and the work is in progress for another 80 km.
While admitting that the road condition is bad, the BSF Meghalaya frontier chief said that the BSF had taken up the matter with the State Government.
Besides the transportation bottlenecks, another cause of concern is the poor cellular connectivity at the village.
The services of none of the Indian mobile companies barring BSNL are available at Ranikor whereas signals from Bangladesh mobile towers are interestingly available in most parts in the area.