50 lakh tourists visited New Town’s Eco Park

The new tourist destination crossed the 50 lakh bench mark on Wednesday. The ticket counter of the park keeps record of every ticket purchased by the visitors since its inception in January, 2013.

Mamata Banerjee has renamed the park as Prakriti Tirtha which stands at 480 acre including a water body covering 112 acre. Banerjee had said over and over again that it would be a place where people could come with their families and spend the whole day in the midst of nature.

After coming to power in 2011, the Chief Minister had urged the West Bengal Housing and Infrastructure Corporation (WBHIDCO) authorities to take steps to beautify the water-body along with the adjoining area. On her way to the airport she used to drop at the park to oversee the ongoing work.

Debashis Sen, chairman of HIDCO said cleanliness is the USP of Prakriti Tirtha. There is a provision to slap fine if the visitors are found to be littering in the open or throwing soiled papers inside. A Japanese garden is coming up at the Park to commemorate Rabindranath’s first visit to Japan over a 

century ago. 

There will be a pagoda and a restaurant where Japanese food will be available. An area will be developed where the miniature replicas of the seven wonders of the world will be kept. An art gallery is also coming up shortly. The design of the art gallery has been made by Jogen Chowdhury.

Prakriti Tirtha has a sprawling rose garden and mist garden where hundreds of people are found on Saturday, Sunday and holidays in the evening. A replica of Ghoom railway station and toy train of Darjeeling attracts thousands of people.

Café Ekante, a restaurant, named by Mamata Banerjee and the houseboat restaurant have become popular among the visitors. The water body is used for boating. There are a couple of rooms on the island where people come to stay to enjoy weekends.

There are areas with joggers’ alley and zones where people enjoy cycling. New Town has been declared a smart city and Rs 1000 crore will be spent by the Centre and state government in the next five years to develop the area.