HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Dec 26: The renowned Chandubi Lake picnic spot has now become a popular tourist hub, situated in the Palashbari constituency in Kamrup district. A beautiful, serene lake located on the outskirts of Guwahati with stunning views, Chandubi is a natural lake under the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC), located 64 kilometers (40 mi) from Guwahati city, accessible through National Highway 17. The lake lies at the foot of the Garo hills, surrounded by Assam and Meghalaya, covered by deep forests and small villages. It is a natural sightseeing and picnic spot, also attracting migratory birds during winter. The lake was formed in 1897 due to an earthquake when the forest sank, creating the lake.
Although Chandubi Lake was initially known as a picnic site, with changing times, tourists from outside the island have shown interest in staying overnight to enjoy the beauty of the place. Consequently, resorts have been established in various parts of the island.
Kaushik Das, co-founder of ‘Chandubi Jungle Camp’, mentioned that every year, around two thousand people from various parts of the world visit Chandubi Lake and stay at their resort.
“There are places for night stays like Chandubi Jungle Camp, Lake View Homestay, Eco Camp, and other homestays, including the Assam Tourist Lodge. Over the year, around eight to ten thousand people stay overnight at Chandubi Lake.”
Tourism development officer Danny Gam, who served as the tourist information officer in Chandubi for over six years, stated that the state government tourist lodge was established in 1988.
“Since I joined Chandubi office, the state government has taken many remarkable steps, such as training fifteen local youths as tourist guides, providing life jackets to the Chandubi Boating Association (which plays a major role in Chandubi Lake), and reconstructing and creating new rooms for tourists in the tourist lodge premises,” said Danny Gam.
Gam also said that the lake is currently drying up for various reasons. Therefore, the state government should investigate the matter in collaboration with the Forest Department and find ways to prevent the water from drying up.
“With the help of the state government, we welcomed many YouTube vloggers for the promotion of the lake, providing leaflets and signs on the road for easy access to the lake when there was no network connectivity,” added Danny Gam.
“We celebrate World Tourism Day every year in different villages near Chandubi Lake for promotion, so that villagers will also contribute their ideas to attract tourists,” added Danny Gam.
It is worth mentioning that many poets have already written poems about Chandubi Lake, captivated by its natural beauty. Chandubi Lake is a tourist destination where some tourists visit during the Chandubi festival in the first week of January. During this festival, local village people perform their traditional or cultural dance forms, and stalls offer local traditional foods. The festival is jointly organised by the All Rabha Students Union, RHAC, Assam State Tourism Department, and the local public. Thousands of spectators from various places visit the festival.
The nature-conscious community and local public emphasized recent changes in the lake, such as water drying, which had never happened before. They urged the state government to investigate and find a solution to the matter.
When asking different people who visited Chandubi Lake, they expressed their opinions, such as, “Though the tourist lodge is in Chandubi, the state government should develop the rooms for night stays.” An anonymous tourist who visited Chandubi during the Chandubi festival highlighted that the state government should brand locally made liquors and beers, as the Meghalaya state government recently did with ‘7 United Rice Brew’ beer. This way, people in the area will financially benefit. On the other hand, some suggested that the government should take the initiative to make houseboats, another tourist attraction like Dal Lake in Kashmir and other places in Kerala.
Meanwhile, people in the Chandubi area seek government financial assistance to make traditional houses for homestays and to be financially benefited.
