Emerging tourist destination in Senapati district Village in Koide gears up for Flower Fest

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Oct 7 : Naamai Zho, an emerging tourist destination in Koide village of Senapati district is all set to host Cosmos Flower Festival from October 8 to celebrate the blooming of the flower and the  picturesque landscape of the village which is located in a pristine valley of the hill district.
The festival will be held for three days till October 10 at Naamai Zho Biodiversity Park.
Koide is a cluster of villages located on the bank of Barak River about 90 km north of Imphal and about 60 km South of Kohima. When travelling from Imphal, one has to pass through Imphal-Dimapur Road and head along Maram-Purul Road from Maram Keithel to reach Koide.
Not much known to the people earlier, Naamai Zho surrounded by scenic views on all sides has become a favourite tourist destination for nature-lovers.
Reportedly, a number of tourists from Manipur as well as the neighbouring State Nagaland throng the village everyday to witness the beauty of the village valley in the hill district. It is not only the blooming of cosmos which attracts the nature lovers from Manipur and Nagaland as the village is breathtaking with just its picturesque landscape.
Speaking to media persons at Naamai Zho Biodiversity Park,  president of Koide Union Th Thoho said that the period of Covid pandemic was like a blessing to the people of Naamai Zho as  it was during this period plantation of cosmos flowers began in the village.
Saying that people of Naamai Zho started sowing the seeds of cosmos flower in 2020 to utilise the Covid restriction placed by the State productively, he added that nature lovers from different parts of the State and  beyond started thronging their village after the colourful flowers started blooming.
Further stating that a guest house and makeshift shops have been opened at Koide in the hill district for the convenience of the tourists visiting the village, Thoho maintained that more people will visit the village if the Government repairs the road stretch leading to the village.
He said that a road stretch of about 2.5 km leading to Koide is in very bad shape and takes about three hours to cover it during the monsoon season.
The distance between Maram and the place where cosmos flower is being planted is about 10 km but about 2.5 km of the stretch is in bad condition with no maintenance at all, he said and added that there were instances of many people who came to see the beauty of the village returning home disappointed as they could not reach the village due to the pitiful road condition during monsoon.
Expressing desire for the Government to repair the 2.5 km road stretch so as to promote Koide as a tourist spot, Thoho added that the Koide Union will extend maximum assistance in repairing the road.
Saying that Koide is a village blessed with attractive landscape, Thoho continued that the lives of people in Koide will change if the Government constructs better  infrastructure at the village.
"More people will visit Koide if there is proper infrastructure," he added.
Maintaining that agriculture is the main occupation of the people in Koide, Thoho maintained that developing the village as a tourist spot will benefit the locals significantly.
Thoho thanked the State Government for initiating a process to construct six heritage homes at Koide.