Eco-tourism, boon for Himachal's decaying forest rest houses
Copyright 2000 The Times of India News Service
December 11, 2000
By Jagdish Bhatt
SHIMLA: The beaten jungle trails that attracted both wild-life lovers and poachers are soon going to be foreign exchange earners and money spinners, with the Himachal forest department making forays into eco-tourism.
Though belatedly thought of, the state forest department has made planned a strategy to utilise its 500 plus rest houses spread throughout the state and the over 3,500 kms of jungle trails, in the state's well-preserved forests as a bait to lure nature lovers and trekkers, not only from India, but the West too.
Talking to The Times of India News Service, additional principal conservator forests Pankaj Khullar feels things will go as planned, tourism in the state will flourish and the much talked eco-tourism, will arrive to stay.
``Today people are concerned about tourism taking a toll on the ecology and we want to spread the message that when ecology and environment are used properly, tourism can be promoted'', he added.
Himachal has picturesque forests and the rest houses here were constructed over a hundred years ago for the forest staff. ``The rest houses are not being used that often. The neglect is now evident, as most of them are falling apart'', he added.
Khullar said the paucity of funds had led to the neglect and only those in the heart of popular hill stations are being used.
He said on an average the occupancy in the rest houses does not even amount to 60 days in a year. ``We thought, if these rest houses are used by tourists who want to see nature at close quarters, the necessary funds required for upkeep would be generated and they would be saved from destruction,'' he said.
Khullar said the rest houses are located in pristine surroundings. ``One rest house is about a day's walk from the other, which is about 16 or 17 kms, this is ideal for trekkers and nature lovers.'' he added.
Initially, the plan was to take up the Chopal, Rampur, Dharamshala and Kullu regions. Here, the the forests are dense and one has a better chance of seeing wildlife while trekking.
Most of the trekking routes will be planned in such a way that the entire circuit takes four to five days to complete. ``The rest house chowkidar will provide basic necessities to the trekkers and wherever necessary, food can also be cooked. The tourists can either stay in the rest houses or in their tents, depending upon their liking'', he said.
If the tourists want `naati' or the local folk dance thrown in, they will simply have to pay the villager organising it. A crackling campfire, the `naati' danced to local music played on antique instruments would lure anyone away from city existence, he felt.
``The plan is to give insight into rural village life, and to give exposure to the villagers so that they can prepare the required infrastructure needed to lure tourists, and make money out of the deal. Hopefully, the economy of the village will also pick up,'' he added.
He said a web site would offer tourism in the state greater visibility and they would be able to sell their package tours effectively. ``We hope to make quality video films on the trekking routes that can be sent embassies abroad. These can also be shown at various festivals, universities and on our international flights'', he said.