Coal mine tourism in Maharashtra is now attracting more tourists than before

Coal mines are fast becoming a major draw for tourists visiting Maharashtra. This has all become possible with the changing perception of people who are now curious to peep into the life of coal miners. The initiative to promote coal mine tourism started two years ago when the eco-friendly Mine Tourism Circuit at Saoner near Nagpur was opened.
As per the official records, Nagpur Eco Park has registered a footfall of more than 1.45 lakh tourists this year. Inspired by the success of this coal mine circuit, Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) has also started a similar venture at Rajpur, which is located in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district. The other sites that will soon be opened for coal mine tourism are spread across four coal mines in Madhya Pradesh.

Other states that are rich in mineral resources, like Jharkhand, are also eyeing to work on this aspect and checking tourism potential of their mines. The growth of coal tourism reflects the changing perception of tourists, who are now eager to get a glimpse of coal miners’ lives.
The eco parks are actually part of an initiative to showcase how operations in coal mines have minimal impact on environment. With this new kind of opportunity, tourists are now able to travel to the depths of underground mines and observe the operations taking place at the open-cast mine from a distance.
Referring to this development, an official mentioned that while eco mine tourism is a new concept in India, other countries, such as Australia, the United States, Norway, Finland, Japan and Bolivia, are also now trying to harness the power of these resources.