JEYPORE: Tension prevailed at Deomali on Tuesday after villagers of Upper Kanti and Dudhari panchayats in Koraput’s Semiliguda block allegedly erected an unauthorised entry gate and started collecting money from tourists. The gate was later dismantled by the administration.
According to reports, the Pottangi administration had awarded a contract to a women’s self-help group (SHG) from Kotia to manage the entry gates at Deomali and collect visitor fees for maintenance, cleanliness and sanitation of the tourist destination. The contract was reportedly awarded for Rs 1.46 lakh per month.
Accordingly, the SHG had installed two entry gates to regulate tourist entry to the peak, one along the route from Dudhari and the other on the Kotia side.
However, villagers of Upper Kanti and Dudhari demanded permission to operate the second gate, claiming that they had donated their land for construction of the road connecting their villages to Deomali. On Sunday, they staged a dharna at Deomali, insisting that they be authorised to operate the gate.
District officials held discussions with them to defuse the situation, but the protesters remained firm on their demand. On Tuesday, the villagers reportedly erected an entry gate on their own and began collecting money from tourists visiting the hilltop.
Taking serious note of the development, police and Pottangi block officials rushed to the spot and dismantled the unauthorised structure. Pottangi tehsildar DBS Dharua said the entry gates at Deomali would be operated by the Kotia-based SHG as per the decision of the administration. The demand by other villagers to independently operate the gate and collect entry fees would not be entertained, he added.
Sunabeda SDPO Sumitra Jena said the unauthorised gate erected by the villagers had been dismantled and a case registered against seven persons in connection with the incident. Police also seized around Rs 5,000 allegedly collected from tourists through the unauthorised gate, she added.