GUNTUR: After years of negligence, the development works of hill eco-park in Mangalagiri gained pace and has been attracting tourists from every nook and corner of the state. Mangalgiri located between Guntur and Vijayawada cities, is a prime spot for development of tourism, as devotees from across the state visit the famous Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple. In 2015, the then state government has approved to set up the first hill eco-park in Guntur district in Mangalagiri and 20 hectares of land was extracted under Nagaravanam programme from Mangalagiri Tadepalli reserved forest area, developed parks, and plantation in the area. But due to a lack of proper maintenance in the following years, the eco-park did not see any development and was neglected.
However, with the allotment of Rs 1.2 crore funds from the state government, the development works gained pace from the past two years. So far, a walking track was constructed in 2.8 km around the hill, and two trekking routes were set up, one from foot of the hill to top and another from top to foot of the hill. Along with this, children’s play areas, and parks were also developed. In order to attract more tourists from both Guntur and Vijayawada cities, the officials have also set up some adventurous sports including commando net, Burma bridge, tyre wall, tyre bridge and so on.
As the footfall has been increasing from the past few months, the authorities have provided basic facilities like washrooms at the eco hill park, said Guntur district forest officer (DFO) Mohammed Bhasha.
He said that the hill has already turned into a famous picnic spot and several schools in the nearby areas are bringing their students to the eco-park. Along with this, several adults and elders are visiting eco-park for trekking to get a breath of fresh air in the hills. We are also planning to set up a yoga centre in the eco park to provide an overall experience to the visitors, he added.
Recently Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Y Madhusudhan Reddy along with all DFOs visited the hill eco park and inspected the facilities and development projects. The forest department officials are planning to charge minimum ticket price from the visitors for maintenance.