miningState to focus on mining tourism

RANCHI: The state government seems to have finally realized that 1)after eco-tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism, the state tourism department is now planning on starting industries and mining tourism in Jharkhand. With the state having rich mineral resources, mining tourism is likely to attract many tourists from across the country if properly implemented.3)Tourism secretary Avinash Kumar said, “Not many places offer mining tourism and once it is started in the state and people get to know about it, tourist inflow will increase as many people are curious to see what happens inside mines.”

4)Talking about the craze of going inside mines, Kumar cited the example of the time when the Bollywood hit ‘Kala Patthar’ was released. “I was a kid back then and everybody I knew wished to go inside the mines once after watching the film. I got a chance to go inside a mine with my father once and I could not help being excited when I wore a minor’s helmet with a torch and walked inside the mines,” he said.

He added, “Even today, common people do not have the permission to go inside the mines and given a chance they would definitely like to go there at least once.”

2)In order to make mining and industries tourism a reality, the department is planning to contact the various companies like TATA, BSL and others. Kumar said, “We will ask them to allow the common people to see such activities where the business of companies won’t be hampered. While it won’t be possible to allow access of hundreds of people at once, it can be done in a regulated manner.”

“We can convert the dead mines which have been abandoned after the work is done there into museums for commoners. In this museum we will show the complete procedure of how miners work inside the mines. It will definitely be and exciting experience for them,” said Kumar.

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