Tucked amidst hills, forest, waterfalls and numerous streams, Lamataput is a scenic place in the tribal-dominated Koraput in Odisha which is a preferred tourist destination.
Official data shows that out of 1,169 foreign tourists who visited the district in 2015, as many as 638 visited the Duduma waterfalls in Lamatapur.
However, private travel operators claim that local tribal communities have not been benefitted by this tourist potential due to non-existence of infrastructure and a lack of will and vision.
However, the administration is working towards tapping the tourist potential in the district.
The administration has taken several steps to give a facelift to the tourist spots in the district to attract more tourists, Koraput Collector Jaya Kumar V said.
The tourist spots of the district have been divided into four zones and it has been planned to develop a tribal village in each zone to facilitate the night stay of tourists so that they can get a glimpse of tribal life which will give a fillip to the tribal economy. It is also decided to develop a trekking point in each zone, he said.
District Tourism Officer of Koraput Kamal Lochan Gamang said a budget of ₹70 lakh has been sanctioned for the construction of pathway and rest-shed at Duduma waterfalls.
To tap the vast tourism potential of the area, a Puri-based entrepreneur Yugabrata Kar started ‘Desia’, a village tourism initiative in November 2013 at Bantalbiri village near Machkund.
As National Highway-326 turns near Peta Chhack under Jeypore block in Koraput, the topography changes. It enters a lush green terrain as the serpentine road leads to Lamataput block which has a fascinating 574-foot waterfalls at Duduma, Onkadeli weekly market which sits every Thursday and famous for Bonda tribe who go there to sell their produce and minor forest products, Machkund hydro-project and reservoir.