M.F. AHMED
Daltonganj, Oct. 20: Tourists’ amenities are coming up near the famous Lodh Falls in Palamu tiger reserve. A one-unit toilet each for male and female tourists with solar power-driven water supply is nearing its completion and will be opened soon for public use.
Treasurer of the EDC (eco development committee) Lodh village, Ramdayal Ram, said: “We are fixing doors in the toilets today and very shortly we will open it for the use of the tourists.”
Mukesh Kumar, Deputy Director South division, of the Palamu tiger reserve, said, “These toilets will mean a lot for the comfort of our esteemed tourists. Male tourists used to pee anywhere but for the female tourists, it used to be a hell of a time. The tourists will now not crane out their necks to find places behind the bushes to ease themselves.”
Use of these toilets will be without any fee (shulk), he added. The EDC Lodh village will maintain its cleanliness.
Sources said most toilets die a dirty death for want of a regular supply of water but here solar energy water supply is its added strength.
Ramdayal Ram said that on average 250 to 300 tourists come every day to the Lodh Falls. Entry with vehicles is chargeable but the parking fee includes this free service of the toilets.
Like all tourists destinations, a problem that plagues the most is the leftovers of the tourists. But here, members of EDC Lodh have put up nearly a dozen dustbins where tourists are politely advised to use it.
Ramdayal Ram said our people there constantly ask tourists not to litter the place with any plastic or polythene.
Adults follow the advice but children accompanying them just overlook this call to cleanliness and throw every kind of wrappers from chocolate to ice cream cones and ready to eat food here and there.
Mukesh Kumar said that waste disposal at the tourists’ sites is a countrywide problem. Tourists defile even sea beaches without any fig of concern. Water Falls are no exception, he added. Lodh Falls in that comparison presents a neat and clean look.
However, he said that there are tourists who take a pull of wine here and most of them throw the bottles around mindlessly which is disgusting. Tourists bring liquor bottles themselves and drink it quite sheepishly.
Empty water bottles are another major source of dirt and filth here, said the Deputy Director South division of the Palamu tiger reserve, adding that tourists don’t prefer tube well water here and go for the bottled water.
