The modernisation of the Nirala Hot Spring Tourism Centre in Panifala, Barabani, was completed nearly a year ago. Yet the site remains locked, with no clear date for public opening. The Barabani block administration has not been able to confirm when the facility will be accessible, leaving tourists across the industrial belt disappointed. Local traders say the delay has hit winter-season business, while officials claim the centre will open later this winter.
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Nearly two decades ago, a few local shepherd boys noticed hot water continuously gushing from the ground in the middle of a forest while grazing cattle. They informed village elders, and the Barabani block administration later found after surveying the area with experts that the water was coming from abandoned, water-filled coal mines spread across the zone. In some places, underground coal seams had caught fire, heating the water before it surfaced.
Believing a tourism hub would generate jobs and aid economic development, local residents voluntarily donated land to the administration. The Nirala Hot Spring Tourism Centre was eventually built over nearly 37 acres.
After running for several years, a major modernisation drive began in 2023 under the Barabani Panchayat Samiti. Around ₹1.46 crore was invested to create an artificial forest for picnics, a children’s recreation zone, rest facilities, and boating arrangements on an artificial waterbody. The project was completed in January last year, with plans to open the centre during winter. However, a full year has passed and the main gate remains locked.
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Local resident Bikash Gop said, “The tourism centre looks much better now, but it still hasn’t opened.” Visitors are also demanding that the centre be made operational this year.
Barabani Panchayat Samiti president Asit Singh said, “Only a few minor tasks are pending. The centre will be opened to the public this winter.”
