Visakhapatnam: Thatipudi reservoir is an increasingly famous tourist attraction in the vicinity of Vizag.
It offers a chance to bask in the glory of nature along with embarking on a boat ride on Gosthani river nestled among lush green hills.
Here, one can also experience rural tourism at its best. C. Seshu, manager at the Giri Vinayaka Eco Tourism resort run by the Forest Department, says, “Tourists are taken to nearby tribal hamlets to experience the lifestyles, food items and livelihood of various tribal communities. Along with this we also offer guides for those interested in going on treks and nature trails in the surrounding forest.”
The season for visiting this nature lovers’ paradise is between November and February and about 4000-5000 tourists visit the reservoir every month, informs Seshu.
However, as the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth. The tourist destination is not under control of APTDC but is controlled by two departments, forest and irrigation.
As the approach road to the resort is not well laid, most of the tourists take a boat ride to reach the destination.
While the boat ride is under authority of irrigation department and maintained by a voluntary organisation, the cottages are maintained by forest department.
The tourist paradise suffers from apathy from both the departments due to which it is unable to harness its maximum potential.
As per sources, a major deterrent for tourists who want to visit the resort is that there are only five cottages worth staying whereas the number of tourists who desire to stay far exceeds the figure.
There is no waiting hall for those waiting for the boat ride along with lack of basic amenities like drinking water and toilets outside the resort.
Many families visit the resort but repeated pleas for developing a park for children has fell on deaf ears.
There are also requests for stablishing a well-equipped conference hall as a few corporate houses have expressed interest in conducting their meetings in the resort.
