In A First, Paragliding To Begin In Odisha’s Deomali Next Month!

Koraput: While the ban on night stay at Deomali hill without a permit may have proved to be a dampener, here is something for the tourist, visiting the highest peak under Pottangi block in Odisha’s Koraput district, to cheer about.

The district administration here is planning to introduce commercial paragliding in the Chandragiri-Pottangi subrange of the Eastern Ghats in Koraput in early December, this year. Trials are being conducted in various weather conditions under the supervision of pilots from Himachal Pradesh since April, sources said.

Two companies, one from Bhubaneswar and the other from Himachal Pradesh, have obtained permission from the district administration to conduct commercial paragliding sessions at Deomali. And anyone from 16 years onwards can paraglide without any previous experience.

This is part of a campaign to draw more tourists to Deomali while promoting adventure sports.

This apart, the district administration is executing a project worth Rs 5 crore, which includes five cottages, a big dining hall and two rooms of dormitory apart from landscaping and plantation of pine trees.

“Cottages are being constructed with all-weather cement fibre boards. Once the project is completed, night stay at Deomali will be made available for tourists. We hope it will be a major tourist attraction. At least 1,000 pine saplings have been planted at Deomali to provide green cover,” assistant conservator of forests, Koraput, Uma Mahesh was quoted as saying by TOI.

The tourism department has also sanctioned Rs 16 crore for integrated development of Deomali, which includes the construction of a new entrance gate, and parking space, among others.