Puri robbed off its scenic beauty, fails to draw tourists

Kolkata: Puri is not going to have too many tourists from Bengal during Pujas as repair and restoration work in hotels still continues after the severe cyclonic storm Fani that lashed Odisha in May.

Tour operators are losing their customers as pre-booking for Puri Konark Marine Drive tour packages has dipped three folds this year.

"After the advent of cyclone Fani in May, we are suffering huge losses. Every year by this time (first week of August), 30 to 40 percent of customers usually book their Puri Konark Marine Drive sight-seeing package. But, this year the whole scenario is different. We could book only 10 per cent of the packages," said B K Das of Explore 2 Odisha (travel agency). Puri Konark Marine Drive, the tourist attraction in Odisha, lends a beautiful encounter with sea on one side and coastal forests on the other. It is the most preferred for Bengalis during Durga puja.

"Cyclone Fani uprooted many trees along the Puri Konark Marine Drive. These trees enrich the beauty of Puri Konark Marine Drive. It is expected that the restoration and beautification work of Puri Konark Marine Drive will be completed by Puja this year," Das said. The tour operators offer three-day or more tour package, which covers popular destinations such as Puri Konark Marine Drive, Konark Sun Temple, Bhitarkanika Mangrove, Barehipani Waterfalls, Simlipal National Park, and Puri sea beach.

Depending upon the number of days and standard of hotel, the cost of tour package (per couple) varies between Rs 10, 000 and Rs 25,000.

The Damaged, Loss and needs Assessment (DLNA) report, released by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday, pointed out

that 3.62 lakh houses were damaged mostly in Puri, Khordha and Cuttack due to Fani. DLNA report also revealed total damage of Rs 16,465 crore and a loss of Rs 7,712 crore.

Fani, an extremely severe cyclonic storm, was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Odisha since Phailin in 2013.