By Aafaque Hussain
JOWAI: Like East Khasi Hills which has Cherrapunjee (Sohra), Double Decker bridge and other tourist spots, the West Jaintia Hills district is equally bestowed with plenty of tourist sites which has every potential to attract tourists but the tourist spots in the district failed to attract huge flow of tourists due to lack of publicity.
While Sohra is a brand name for tourists, similarly, West Jaintia Hills too has some exotic locations like Ialong park, Tyrchi Falls, Thadlaskein Lake, Thlumuwi and jarain pitcher plant lake to name a few, but these tourist places are in need of the much required publicity.
During a visit, some locals in Ialong Park said that tourists do visit the place, but the number of tourists is not much as people expect.
“Most of the tourists to Meghalaya never visit this site and they end up their tour by mostly touring other places including Sohra and parts of Shillong,” a local said who resides near the Ialong Park.
On the other hand, locals in the area also feel that since Cherrapunjee is already a brand name, the Government should take the initiative for publicizing the tourist spots in West Jaintia Hills.
The residents also said that though the tourist spots in the district are breathtaking, there is a need to build better infrastructure in these sites.
Speaking on the matter, West Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner, Arunkumar Kembhavi, said that the District Administration wants to provide basis services and amenities to these tourist places like better restaurants before publicizing the places attraction.
He said that the District Administration is taking all measures to provide better infrastructures in the area and now they will also construct a bridge worth Rs 1 crore at Ialong park. In addition, there is also a programme for beautification of Thadlaskein lake.
He said that they have recently identified a place for constructing an eco- park near the Myntdu-Leshka hydro power project besides there is also a plan to construct a view point at Jarain.
“We are also contemplating to give some skill training to youths who can act as tourist guides”, he said.
Training will also be conducted on hospitality, the Deputy Commissioner said, adding that all these programmes will be taken up in the convergence mode with all line departments. The District Administration has made a timeline of one year to implement all its plans for boosting tourism sector in the district.