Here is high quality news for tourists who wish to be part of nature in famed north Bengal, especially the area centering Gazoldoba in Jalpaiguri, a dream project of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

State tourism minister Gautam Deb has readied a new route to reach ‘Bhorer Alo,’ the mega tourism project at Gazoldoba, from Salugara in Siliguri, which will be opened for tourists before Durga Puja.

Tourists taking this route can enjoy the Jungle Safari on the stretch of 12.4 km in the dense Baikunthapur forest, where elephants, leopards, hornbills and other wild animals move around frequently.

The tourism department today showcased the new arrangement as it invited several people associated with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and other organizations, and journalists. Minister Deb himself led the entire team from Siliguri to Gazoldoba and back in a department bus.

Mr Deb interacted with the team during the journey and briefed them on his department’s plans to develop the region in the tourism sector

As the team headed for the project through the new route developed at a cost of around Rs 5 crore, Mr Deb appreciated the partly-cloudy weather, especially amid the dense forest. Mr Deb also said that tourists can spend nights in cottages at Gazoldoba and study nature even during the monsoons.

According to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Anjan Guho, there were 23 causeways that will clear rainwater within the 12.4 km stretch. Along with the forests, the Saraswatipur tea plantation also falls on the new route on the banks of the river Karala.

“The river Karala originates in the deep forests where it is like a hot spring,” Mr Guho said.

According to Mr Deb, the natural road needs continuous repairing. He also proposed three to four roads that would connect Gazoldoba to Siliguri. The distance to the place will be shortened after completion of the Railway Over Bridge (ROB) project at Gazoldoba.

The tourism department has planned to introduce a package tour by promoting religious places, including the Bhramri Debi Temple and a place that has connections to Devi Choudhurani, which is historically impartant. Twenty-three more cottages will be built at Gazoldoba and the same will be completed by March 2020. Besides that, another area called Chamakdangi will also be developed and around 20 cottages will be built in that area that connects Gazoldoba.

According to Mr Deb, his department plans to promote the new route by allowing school students to go on a study tour free of cost. “The idea of a new route was conceived to connect two landmarks, Bengal Safari, which is now a profit-making state property, and Gazoldoba for tourists,” official sources said.