It's no coincidence that the population of this village is nearly the same as the number of peacocks — 2,000. Though listed among the drought-prone areas of the district, the village is distinct by the large presence of peacocks. Now, Chincholi Morachi, situated 55 km from Pune, is also likely to get the status of the first ‘tourist village’ in the state.Regional head of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), Hemant Phadke, said plans were afoot to develop it into a tourist destination. ‘‘After repeated demands from villagers for development of the village, we conducted a survey and prepared the proposal. It requires final consent from the Tourism Ministry,’’ he added, refusing to divulge details.The place will be developed as part of a package which will include other places of historical or religious importance such as Nigoj and Ranjangaon, Phadke said.According to villagers, there are hundreds of tamarind trees in the village which gave it the name Chincholi or Chincheche ban (tamarind garden). The suffix ‘Morachi’ followed nearly half a century ago after the peacocks adopted the village. The bird prefers cool surroundings and the village is an ideal place as the trees provide shade, says Anna Garade of Malhar Pratisthan.The peacocks are guests of honour in the village. This year, special water tanks have been constructed for the birds in view of the scarcity of water in the village, he added. Donors from Shirur and adjoining areas have donated water tankers to fill the tanks, besides providing grain, said Anna.In fact, villagers, who revere the peacocks, sow more grains on their farms to compensate for the damage wrought by the bird. They also have plans to form a committee called ‘‘Protection and Conservation of Peacocks’’ to make permanent arrangements for food and water for the bird, says sarpanch Vishwanath Karanjkar. The proposal has been passed in the Gram Sabha and forwarded to the Forest Department which is awaiting a nod from the Centre. According to the proposal, an estimated Rs 20 lakh would be needed to take care of the peacocks’ requirements, he added.
