The management of Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar has decided to set up six eco huts for tourists willing to spend quality time watching wildlife. Four such huts would come up in the Govardhana range of the reserve, about 280 km northwest from Patna. Two huts would come up at Valmikinagar range of VTR. These huts would have all the facilities that are offered at good hotels. Each hut would accommodate two persons. Rs four lakh would be spent to construct each hut. The construction would be carried out in accordance with the design suggested by professional agencies.
Santosh Tiwari, Director, VTR said,“The fund for this project has been provided by the district administration under the border area development programme. We intend to get these huts ready by the end of this fiscal.” As things stand now, VTR does not have dedicated residential facilities for visitors. The only option available is the rest houses of range offices.
Tiwari said tourists staying in the huts would be provided food. The service would be outsourced to local people. They would be selected on the basis of the recommendations made by the eco-development committee of the area concerned. “The selected people would be given training for serving the visitors professionally,” he further added.