Mrunal Manmay Dash

Malkangiri: Of all the places one would least expect a tourist to visit, Chitrakonda which still seem to appear as a Maoist stronghold has surprisingly emerged as a selfie destination in the State.

The once-cut-off area in Chitrakonda which has been named Swabhiman Anchal after the much-hyped opening of Gurupriya Bridge in the district has now turned out to be quite a crowd puller this tourist season.

As per reports, tourists not only from Odisha but from adjoining states like Andhra Pradesh are gradually making their way to enjoy the serene and sublime beauty of the area.

It may be noted that the much-awaited 910 metre long bridge built over the Sileru River was inaugurated last year by Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik. After the milestone development, the cut-off area connected by the bridge saw the first signs of development after a delay of nearly 35 years and it led the government to term it as ‘Swabhiman Anchal’.

It gave a new identity to at least 151 villages and nine Gram Panchayats in the Chitrakonda block which were earlier disconnected from the mainland after the construction of Machkund reservoir in 1960 and Balimela Hydro Electric Project in 1972.

The major reason for delay in constructing a bridge was said to be the Left Wing Extremists’ (LWE) threat that started to peep its head due to inhospitable terrain and inaccessibility of the area. The 900 sq km of the cut off area gradually became a safe haven for the extremists who operated their bases from there. It was only in 2014 that the construction got steam after the Border Security Force (BSF) set up their camps on both sides of the bridge to provide security to the construction workers and the bridge itself.

Nonetheless, after inauguration of the bridge, CM Naveen announced a package of Rs 100 crores for the development of the area. While the development showed optimistic signs for the region, the situation seems to be getting even better now as tourists are gradually starting to throng the area to witness the mother nature at her best.

Excited to see a possible tourist destination in Malkangiri, Mili Pradhan, a tourist said, “The blue waters here are definitely a crowd puller. It’s in fact in no way lesser than the Andaman islands.”

Mili went on to endorse the place, said, “It’s an ideal spot to capture perfect selfies. I call upon the tourists to come here in large numbers and enjoy the untouched beauty of the place.”

Goutam Biswas, another tourist said, “The place is good and we enjoyed a lot. But it would have been better if people could get restaurants to eat and a facility for boating in these waters.”

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