Bamboo huts erected by the Forest Department on the banks of the Kallar river at Adavi as part of an ecotourism project are ready for commissioning. District Collector S. Harikishore said the huts would be inaugurated on August 1.
He said five huts had been constructed at Adavi and the daily rent of a hut had been fixed at Rs.4,000. Services of the Vana Samrakshana Samiti workers would be utilised in running the project.
Tourists can stay in the huts, undertake trekking, ride on a coracle in the Kallar, and visit the Konni elephant camp. Mr. Harikishore said tourists could book the bamboo huts over phone (0468-2247645, 8547600599, 8547600610).
The Forest Department would train the VSS workers before deploying them in the service of tourists at the bamboo huts.
He said Divisional Forest Officer G.M. Kochukanjirom would make arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Adavi Fest at Adavi and Gaja Vijnanotsavom at the Konni elephant camp.
A jeep safari exploring the Konni forests has become a hit with more people joining the programme.
The safari covers the Chelikkallar and Pakkallar streams, the giant rock of Kattathippara, and remnants of a few ancient temples at Aluvamkudy, Kurichy and Parakkulam.
The elephant camp and the coracle ride in the Kallar have already earned Konni a name in the State’s ecotourism sector. An elephant sanctuary is coming up on the banks of river Kallar at Adavi and once completed, it will be the first of its kind in India.
The idea is to develop 350 hectares of natural forests on the banks of Kallar into a sanctuary for the rescued, injured and abused elephants.
