Rs 100-cr ‘Shakti circuit’ to counter Maoism on Bihar-Jharkhand border

Gaya For long the happy hunting ground of Maoists, the Dobhi area in Gaya district, bordering Chatra in Jharkhand, is set to emerge as the gateway to a three-shrine ‘Shakti circuit’ in Jharkhand, that is expected to give a big fillip to tourism in the region.

Efforts are on to connect the three ‘Shakti circuit’ shrines of Kauleshwari and Bhadrakali (Itakhori) in Chatra district and Chhinmastika at Rajrappa in Hazaribagh, dedicated to Goddess Kali. All three shrines fall in red zone and most parts of the proposed Shakti circuit are covered with jungles.

As such, the Jharkhand government, in association with the Union tourism ministry, has conceived a Rs 100-crore project for the integrated development and beautification of the shrines to international standards.The project is being pushed by BJP MPs of Gaya (Hari Manjhi), Aurangabad (Sushil Singh) and Chatra (Sunil Kumar Singh).

Chairman of the Kauleshwari Temple management Committee (KTMC)-cum-Chatra Sadar SDO Nand Kishore Lal said a three-member team of the Hyderabad based IDEK Company visited Kauleshwari last week and studied the sites. The team is expected to submit its report to the Jharkhand government within a week.

Jharkhand would then send the proposal, with the DPR, to the Union tourism minister, Chatra MP Sunil Kumar Singh said. 

Lal said the Kauleshwari shrine, located on the border of Gaya and Chatra, had all the potential of an international tourist spot with the temple and ponds located on a hill top.

While Kauleshwari is already linked by road with Dobhi, the gateway of the circuit, direct roads from Kauleshwari to Bhadrakali (Itkhori) and Rajarappa will be needed to complete the Shakti circuit, as per the plans mooted.

“Not only roads, we have plans for integrated development and beautification of Kauleshwari, including ropeway, safari market complex on the hill top, apart from educational institutions at the foothills. The government of India has already approved a Sainik school for the Kauleshwari region,” said the Chatra MP. 

Social activist and representative of Gaya MP Hari Manjhi, Muniram Dubey, said, “The development projects being worked out by the Jharkhand government for Kauleshwari is the outcome of incessant efforts of the Gaya, Aurangabad and Chatra MPs who have been writing to the Union tourism ministry about it, for three years.”

“Kauleshwari is my dream project and after completion of the Shakti circuit, Maoism would be a history in the region bordering Bihar”, said Sunil Kumar Singh, the Chatra MP.

FILLIP TO TOURISM

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While Kauleshwari is already linked by road with Dobhi, gateway of the circuit, direct roads from Kauleshwari to Bhadrakali (Itkhori) and Rajarappa is needed to complete Shakti Circuit, as per plans mooted