HIDCO to set up replica of village at Eco Park

In a bid to acquaint the visitors with the beauty and uniqueness of rural Bengal, Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) is setting up the replica of a village at the Eco Park.

The village will come up on a three acre land and is likely to be opened for public in December.

Hectic work is on to give shape to the village. There will be 40 huts, many of which have been constructed so far. There will be 70 statues of village men along with a tulsi mandap, a rath and a palki, the traditional mode of transport in rural Bengal for centuries. A replica of an actual paddy field will be built. Hand fans taller than man's height will be put up at the front boundary wall. An eatery shaped like a Dhamsa will be constructed keeping in mind the rural ambience.

HIDCO officials said the main purpose will be to get visitors, both Indian and foreign, have a taste of rural Bengal whose beauty attracts hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists every year. Also, this will give an opportunity to the parents of children to show them the paddy field and village huts and how village people look like.

Samita Basu, a sociologist welcomed HIDCO's move to set up a replica of rural Bengal. "It is good that an urban recreation park which has attracted lakhs of people will have an arena to depict the tradition of Bengal. The beauty of rural Bengal has attracted scholars from all over the globe but there are many people both young and old living in urban areas who have no idea of villages and their ambience. A replica of rural Bengal will add more value to Eco Park."

It may be mentioned that since its inception in January 2012, the footfall has reached over 80 lakh. Over the years, Eco Park, named as Prakriti Tirtha by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has become of the most attractive urban parks in the country which stands on a 480 acre land. A special arena to showcase the miniatures of the seven wonders of the world is also

coming up at Eco Park at the request of Mamata Banerjee who feels that the miniature of the seven wonders will be enjoyed by the tour-loving people of Bengal.