Nitish opens eco-friendly tourist attraction

Rajgir, Jan 29 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today took a tonga ride and opened the first ever eco- friendly, green and clean tourist destination at Rajgir hills at Ghoda Katora with facilities of adventure games, including tracking, rope climbing and para-sailing. Kumar, accompanied by state Tourism minister Sunil Kumar Pinto, Planning Development minister Narendra N Yadav, Mines and Geology minister S N Arya and top officials of the state Tourism and Forest departments, took a tonga ride and travelled a distance of 6.5 km from Vishwa Shanti stupa base here to open the facilities. The facilities like adventure games including tracking, rope climbing and para-sailing have come up, for the first time at any tourist spot in the state. The place is nearly 6.5 km away from the ropeway site at Rajgir, the journey to the lake can be done on bicycles and the spot has been developed as an ecological zone. The tourists visiting the destination would be provided bicycles free of cost and they will be available near the ropeway. No fuel operated vehicle would be allowed as we want the area pollution free, Kumar said, adding more facilities would be added to the centre. Chief Minister said the place had tourism potential which had earlier remained untapped and it would attract the tourists visiting Rajgir to see Buddhist and Jain monument and sites. Portable toilets have also been set up there to keep the area pollution free. While tracking and rope climbing would be available on regular basis, para-sailing would be available on special occasions, he added. Several school students and probationary officers of different state services participated in tracking at the inaugural function.