Ranchi: In a major push to bolster connectivity, the road construction department has initiated work on two tourist circuits designed to link key destinations and nature hotspots across the state.The first circuit, spanning 363.22 km, will connect prominent spots such as Netarhat, Palamu Tiger Reserve, Lodh falls, Panchghagh falls and McCluskieganj. The development will be executed across eight distinct stretches along the Ranchi-Silli-Tamar-Khunti-Ghaghra-Netarhat-Latehar-Balumath-McCluskieganj route.Similarly, a second 164-km-long ‘holy’ tourist circuit is being developed to seamlessly integrate major pilgrimage sites, including the Chhinnamastika Temple in Rajrappa, Parasnath hill, Baba Baidyanath Dham in Deogarh, Lugu Buru and the Deori temple. This corridor will traverse the Ranchi-Ormanjhi-Gola-Rajrappa-Gomia-Dumri-Giridih-Deoghar stretch, offering a smoother transit for devotees.Department’s secretary Sunil Kumar told TOI, “The objective of the corridor is to integrate major tourist destinations and nature hotspots across Jharkhand into a single, continuous travel circuit. Similarly, the holy tourist circuit will connect multiple major religious and tourist sites to offer better facilities to devotees and tourists alike.”He added, “Work is already on for both the corridors, with detailed project reports being prepared in some, while feasibility tests are being conducted in others.”The tourism-centric routes are part of a larger blueprint featuring six proposed expressway corridors intended to transform Jharkhand into a robust industrial, logistics and tourism hub in eastern India. Alongside the tourism corridors, four strategic industrial routes will link the state’s rich mineral reserves and manufacturing clusters into a unified network.Among these, the East-West Corridor will serve as a dedicated logistics channel for mining zones like Singrauli, Vindhyachal and Rihand. The Eastern Corridor will link landlocked Jharkhand with global waterways by connecting the Sahibganj multi-modal terminal with industrial hubs like Dhanbad and Jamshedpur for direct access to Paradip port in Odisha.The North-South Corridor will bridge the northern and southern regions, supporting the state’s maiden ‘Mining Tourism’ initiative in Ramgarh, while the Central Corridor will divert heavy freight to ease traffic congestion in Ranchi.“The action plan to develop these corridors in a phased manner is currently underway. The proposals for East-West, Eastern and North-South corridors have already been submitted on the PM GatiShakti Portal,” Kumar said.
