Konar Dam Water Sports Hub: Hazaribag Tourism Boost & Employment Generation

Hazaribag: Deputy commissioner Shashi Prakash Singh on Monday said the district administration will soon move a proposal to the state tourism department for developing Konar dam as a hub of water sports. The move is aimed at generating local employment and putting the district on Jharkhand’s tourism map, officials said.“It will generate lots of employment for local youths. The place has immense scope for tourism. This would attract many tourists not only from Jharkhand but from all over the country," Singh said.The reservoir was constructed by the Damodar Valley Corporation on Konar River, a tributary of the Damodar, in the 1950s. The dam was inaugurated in 1955 by Jawahar Lal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. DC, who visited the site along with administrative officials for a picnic on Sunday, said they will take up the issue with DVC chairman S Suresh Kumar for developing the area.The PSU, which owns and operates the dam, started several water sports such as jet skiing, scuba diving, and other facilities for tourists on New Year. DVC also decided to start several water sports schemes in coming days.Kumar who recently visited the dam, had also inaugurated solar units to generate 8 MW power. and said the aim was to generate 320 MW electricity in coming years. Plans are also afoot to use water from this dam to provide drinking water to Hazaribag town and the adjoining areas to solve the water crisis.