Three new tourism circuits beep on govt radar

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Express News Service

Posted online: Saturday , July 05, 2008 at 12:33:13

Kolkata, July 4 The West Bengal government has decided to take the help of a UN agency and the Union government to promote tourism in several parts of the state, including Sundarbans and coastal Digha.

State Tourism Minister Manab Mukherjee told the state Assembly today that three new tourism circuits in West Bengal will be developed at Sunderbans, Dooars and Digha-Shankarpur-Mandarmani. The total project cost of Rs17 crore will be provided by the Union government, said Mukherjee.

The minister said: “A comprehensive plan is getting prepared for the development of tourism at Sunderbans with the help of the World Tourism Organisation.”

He added that a tourism circuit is also underway at Bakkhali-Frasergunj with Central government assistance.

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 4.70 crore for the development of this circuit, of which Rs 3.76 crore has already been received, he said.

According to Mukherjee, a beach tourism circuit at Digha-Bakkhali-Mandarmani is being developed for which Rs 5.98 crore was sanctioned by the Centre, of which Rs 4.52 crore has been received by the state government.

For the eastern Dooars circuit, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 6.83 crore, he said.

Admitting that West Bengal is lagging behind states like Kerala in tourism sector, he said the state government has come out with a new tourism policy that aims at creating infrastructure to attract private investments in tourism sector.

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