The pristine beauty of the Koundinya wildlife sanctuary with its 30-plus wild elephants has prompted the Forest Department to initiate a ₹3-crore eco-tourism project at Naniyala in the tri-State area.
Chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently laid the stone for the project here, and works is progressing at a brisk pace.
Divisional Forest Officer T. Chakrapani told The Hindu that the ambitious project is under way in about 50 hectares, a safe enclosure within the sanctuary.
“We have plans to create accommodation facilities here for about 1,000 tourists at any given time. We have planned a separate ambari track round the enclosure from within. As one sitting on the back of our trained elephants would gaze at the wild forests surrounding him, the presence of wild elephants would thrill him. We are so happy that the farmers and the general public who had once viewed these wild elephants as a menace are now realising that the jumbos are a definite source of their livelihood. Once developed on the lines of Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary, the Koundinya will soon be on the wildlife map of the world, and will attract teeming tourists,” the DFO said.
The official said the pachyderms are absolutely safe from the menace of poachers. “The element of poaching elephants for their tusks is completely not present in the region. Though some casualties of elephants had taken place in the fields, such traps were originally meant for protecting crops from wild boars. In recent years, farmers are well cooperating with forest officials, anticipating a tourism boom. This project will also give a boost to local employment generation,” Mr Chakrapani said.
