Jatinga village (N.C. Hills), March 4: The view of sunrise from the Hempeopet peak, they say, is better than the morning spectacle from Tiger Hill in Darjeeling.
Situated at an altitude of 6,000 feet above sea level, the peak will now form the backdrop of an exotic trail for adventure lovers as the North Cachar Hills district administration is planning to throw open a path for trekking in the Borail range. The picturesque Jatinga hamlet, which lies at a distance of 10 km from Haflong, is internationally famous as the home of the kamikaze birds. It is now poised to be a tourist destination once again.
“We are planning to upgrade the bird observatory and open up certain trekking trails like the path to the Hempeopet peak, the second highest peak of the Borail range, from Jatinga,” said Syed Iftikhar Hussain, deputy commissioner, N.C. Hills. The North East Frontier Railway is also offering a package tour called the Jatinga Steam Safari, which includes a trip to the village for a glimpse into the lives of the ethnic tribes of the region.
“There is also a helicopter service from Haflong. If we can increase the tourist flow, the local youths can be engaged in the hotel industry and those well-acquainted with the various trekking trails can be engaged as guides,” Hussain added.The neat, tiny village, also visited by famous ornithologist Salim Ali, was once a miniature “orange county”. However, the area was economically crippled after pests struck at the lush orange orchards.
Squatting in front of her neat wooden house dotted with colourful curtains and flowerpots, 40-year-old Malati Rupsi said, “Every family has now switched over to the cultivation of pineapple, ginger, turmeric, bay leaf and betelnut. Two of my sons are working with Assam police.”
Inhabited mainly by the Jaintia tribe, the area is fit for growing horticultural crops. “In the past five years, a pest called the stem borer damaged the oranges which dealt a severe blow to the villagers economically. Agriculture experts have attributed the menace to poor management tactics adopted by the cultivators,” said Hussain.
“The flow of tourists has also come down considerably because of law and order problems. Strangely enough, the number of migratory birds frequenting this place has also come down in recent years,” said K. Suchiang, village headman.
Hussian added, “We are planning to renovate the forest inspection bungalow in Jatinga. A visit to Maibang to have a look at the Maibang stone temple, which is an archaeological wonder, can also be included in the tourists’ itinerary.”
With a pre-dominantly Christian population of 18,000, the village has a literacy rate of more than 90 per cent. There are three lower primary schools and one high school, adequate supply of water and electricity and phone connections in the village.
“However, only 70 inhabitants of the village are government servants. The rest of the village has to depend on the cultivation of horticultural crops,” rued Suchiang. However, he is still hopeful. “If the flow of tourists increases, we will be able to sell our handicrafts, fruits and spices. We can also arrange a paying guest system in the village, which will benefit us economically.”
N. Kimi Biate, a student of Haflong Government College, said, “I want to opt for a career in the tourism sector and such steps will open up job avenues for us.”
Jatinga village also serves as a tri-junction for Silchar, Lumding and Haflong. The Silchar-Jatinga-Lumding road is part of the extension of National Highway 54.
“After the extension is completed, one can reach Jatinga by road from Silchar in two hours. This will hopefully draw more domestic and foreign tourists to the area,” Hussain added.