A village in Bihar's Kaimur district has found itself on a central government tourism website for all the wrong reasons, turning a spotlight on the glaring absence of basic civic amenities in the region. This comes just days after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated an ecotourism facility nearby.
A Dubious Distinction on the Tourism Map
Barwan Kalan is the only village from Bihar featured on the Union tourism ministry's rural tourism portal (rural.tourism.gov.in). However, its listing is not for scenic beauty or cultural heritage. Instead, the portal describes it as a "hamlet of bachelors" where no marriages have taken place for over 50 years, attributing this to an "absence of services and infrastructure."
The village, located roughly 10 kilometers from the newly inaugurated Maa Mundeshwari Wildlife Eco Park and Telhaar Kund Waterfall facility, lacks motorable roads, reliable drinking water, and consistent electricity. The online description has left residents perplexed and angry, seeing it as a mark of shame rather than an achievement.
Ground Reality: A Life Without Basics
Barwan Kalan's panchayat mukhiya, Nand Lal Singh (55), contested the claim about no marriages in five decades but admitted the core issue. He stated that a significant number of eligible youths across the five villages of his panchayat remain unmarried due to crippling infrastructure deficits.
"Out of the 14 villages in the panchayat, Barwan Kalan, Barwan Khurd, Sarwandag, Surkur Khurd and Tori have the maximum number of bachelors due to lack of basic infrastructure. There is no pucca road or drinking water facility," Singh explained from Bhabua, the district headquarters.
He detailed the daily struggles: handpumps run dry in summer, forcing women to walk nearly a kilometer to a single well. Solar lights fail frequently, and mobile networks are patchy due to power issues and missing towers. For any village function, residents must first create a makeshift road.
Pappu Kumar, a local preparing for competitive exams in Bhabua, highlighted the migration problem. "Men from the panchayat migrate to other places for livelihood as paddy and wheat cultivation in this hilly area depends on scarce rainwater," he said. Water tankers are a rare lifeline, and only reach the village after residents build a temporary road for them.
Political Reactions and Accusations of Defamation
The listing has sparked outrage on social media, with many users accusing the central portal of deliberately belittling Bihar under the guise of promoting tourism. "What the hell is wrong with the tourism website …. Is this a new way to defame Bihar?" one user questioned.
When contacted, Bihar Tourism Minister Nitish Mishra said he was unaware of the listing but promised to investigate and write to the Union tourism ministry if it were verified.
Local Chainpur MLA and Minority Welfare Minister Md Zama Khan acknowledged the infrastructure gaps. He cited challenges in building roads as the required land belongs to the Environment, Forest & Climate Change Department, but assured that efforts were underway to secure the necessary No-Objection Certificate (NOC).
The incident underscores a stark contradiction: while the state government promotes ecotourism, villages just kilometers away remain trapped in a cycle of deprivation, their plight now ironically documented on a national platform meant for promotion.
