A view of Vennela waterfall near Manugur in Kothagudem district.
Kothagudem: Vennela waterfall, near Manugur in the district, which has come alive with the recent rains, has been attracting tourists.
Situated near Hanuman Temple on Kothagudem-Manugur road the waterfall has been witnessing higher footfall for the past one week. Water falls down with a height of over 30 feet from a lush green hillock in Rathamgutta Urban Park.
The park was developed by the forest department during the reign of the previous BRS government on 250 hectares of land abutting the hillock. A road has been laid to the waterfall, which is located nearly one kilometre inside the park from the main road.
Youngsters prefer to trek the hillock to reach its top to cherish the view of waterfall from above; to play, swim and take selfies in the stream coming down from the hillock before it cascades over the rocks while women and elders stand beneath the falling water.
Visitors from across erstwhile Khammam, Warangal and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have been visiting the waterfall and on Sundays tourist rush was increasing. According to officials, last Sunday Rs.30,000 was collected from visitors in the form of entry fee.
Speaking to Telangana Today a resident of Paloncha R Praveen Kumar noted that the waterfall is accessible to the public with a proper connectivity. The forest and tourism department officials should make efforts to further develop the park as a tourist site.
He suggested that the officials concerned have to popularise the waterfall so that the number of tourists visiting the waterfall would increase. Though there are a few huts built in the park for tourists to relax there is a need to improve facilities for the convenience of the visitors.