Vellore bids to woo visitors

VELLORE: Efforts are on to draw devotees and tourists of Sripuram golden temple in Vellore to other lesser-known tourism spots in the district as Amirthi forest and Balamathi hills are over overcrowded. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation has allotted around `4.15 crore to develop tourism here. An official in the district said the developmental work started in 2008 and is nearing completion.These include improvement of the Otteri Park, situated at the foothill of the Balamathi hill, construction of a compound wall for the park and building a retaining wall at  Balamathi Road. For tourists and devotees of golden temple, a clock room, building toilets and other sanitation facilities were made available near the shrine. An official said, “These steps have been taken to help tourist feel comfortable, in addition to improving the tourism in the district.”A footpath has also been laid around the Vellore Fort for visitors to have a blissful walk, said the official and added that these have also benefited the local public, as they also use the path and the park in Otteri for morning walks and workouts.“All these would be fully operational by March. We hope that the initiative would invite tourists who visit the golden temple to these spots too, as Amirthi forest is just 25 km from Vellore, whereas Balamathi hills is 30 minutes drive from Vellore. This would also provide employment to the locals,” the official added.“There are is a lot of scope to improve the activities in Balamathi and Kottamalai hills. Activities could include a walk in the hills and forests and awareness about the habitats, hills, valleys and streams. We need guides, volunteers, NGOs and staff. But, a high-level decision by officials is needed to make this a reality,” said officials attached to the forest department.They also said that they have been trying to upgrade the zoo for the past three and half years. The department has sent a proposal to upgrade Amirthi Mini Zoo to the standards of a small zoo. This would bring in more wild animals like tigers, bears and leopards.Of course, Amirthi forest is a splendid place for trekking, the officials added.