Bhubaneswar: The new age of eco-tourism in Odisha has startled people nationwide with an out-of-the-box approach towards women’s empowerment.
Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Bargarh district of Odisha, under the dynamic leadership of Anshu Pragyan Das, DFO Wildlife, Hirakud division, has achieved new milestones of success.
After being the first eco-tourism hotspot in the State to introduce state-of-the-art stargazing facilities for tourists, the sanctuary has once again garnered public admiration through its women empowerment initiatives.
In a developing nation like India, where women’s empowerment is still in a growing phase. Two young girls from the foothills of Debrigarh have turned out to be inspiring figures for millions of young girls striving to pursue their dreams.
Margarate Baru, the first female safari driver of the State, and Sangeeta Sarika, an eco-tourism guide serving at the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary both, in their early twenties, have earned themselves fame through their daredevil choice of profession.
In an exclusive telephonic interview with Ommcom News, both Margarate and Sangeeta have expressed their heartfelt opinion about the nature of the job they are doing, and the passion fueling them to serve the people and the wildlife.
Margarate, who has been driving a safari vehicle for around 3-4 months in the sanctuary thanks her father and forest officials for encouraging her.
She has learned to drive a four-wheeler for the first time inside the wildlife sanctuary and has been trained to drive under specific protocols.
On being asked how driving in the forest area is different from driving on the normal road, she said; “In wildlife sanctuary, the speed limit is restricted to 20 kmph and honking of the horn is completely prohibited ensuring no disturbance caused to the wild animals.”
The sightseeing of the sanctuary is managed by a team of 12 safari drivers and 14 eco-guides, including Sangeeta Sarika, the first women eco-guide of Odisha who has been working with the team for the last four months.
On being asked about how she feels being in the shoes of an eco-guide responsible for managing tourists she said, “I truly enjoy my profession, as I love interacting with new people and helping them learn more about the sanctuary for an enhanced experience.”
“The sanctuary being geographically located alongside the Hirakud reservoir forms a unique habitat for animals. Tourists coming for sightseeing can have an incredible view of animals as they dwell freely in the serene environment of the sanctuary.” Said; Sarika.
Adding further she said, “The sanctuary offers different tour packages catering interests of the tourists. Recent addition of stargazing facilities has also boomed the booking, resulting in an overall revenue of 3.5 crore rupees for the current year.”
The wildlife sanctuary is spread over 347 sq. kilometres and is an abode to numerous wildlife species including more than 40 species of mammals, 234 species of birds, 41 species of reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, 42 species of fishes, 39 species of odonates, 85 species of butterflies, is internationally acclaimed for a significant population of Leopard, Bison and Four-horned antelope locally known as Chousingha.
The sanctuary is also famous for hosting the base of one of India’s first freedom fighters, Veer Surendra Sai. His base ‘Barapathara’ is located within the Debrigarh sanctuary.
