NIZAMABAD: The Nizamabad district administration has prepared proposals to develop Alisagar reservoir as a tourist destination to attract people from Nizamabad and Bodhan, and also visitors to the Goddess Saraswathi temple in Basara in Nirmal district.
Nizamabad district does not have many tourist attractions in comparison with other districts. In addition to this, lack of funds due to the pandemic has hindered the development of local attractions. Alisagar reservoir was constructed during the Nizam's regime to provide drinking water and irrigation facilities to Nizamabad, Bodhan and surrounding areas.
It is located 15 km from Nizamabad town and comes under Yedapally mandal. As of now, the reservoir has a Tourism Department hotel, a big park and boating facility.
Apart from visitors from the district, short film or video makers are also flocking to the reservoir to make use of its beautiful landscape for footage, while commercial photographers are holding pre-wedding and post-wedding shoots at the site.
The number of visitors have increased post the second wave of the pandemic, and some are even urging the officials concerned to develop the area.
In fact, officials have been wanting to develop the reservoir site for several years, but haven't had the required funds for it. Now, the State's Tourism Department will develop it at a cost of Rs 1 crore under the Centre’s Rurbun Mission.
Officials have asked a private agency to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the same. Officials also have plans to develop a 'sky park' around the reservoir. Small works like laying of CC roads have been completed at an estimated cost of Rs 30 lakh.
Another issue blocking the project was that around Rs 80 crore of payments to contractors for works under the Rurbun scheme in Yedapally mandal were not cleared. Bodhan Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) S Rajeshwar said that recently, District Collector C Narayana Reddy reviewed implementation of works under the Rurbun scheme in Yedapally mandal, and also looked into the pending payments issue.
He directed the Engineering Departments to take steps to clear pending bills and start the proposed works. "We are hopeful that the agency will prepare the DPR and the Engineering Departments will start works soon," Rajeshwar said.