Centre to give Rs 25 crore to develop tourism in Amritsar

Chandigarh, May 30 (UNI) The Centre today agreed to sanction Rs 25 crore for developing Amritsar as a ''Major Tourist Destination''.

An assurance to this effect was given by Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in a meeting held at her residence in New Delhi.

The Centre has already sanctioned Rs five crore under ''Normal Destination Development Scheme'' for Amritsar .

Taking part in the deliberations, Mr Badal urged the Union Minister to allot a special project to develop 'river tourism' along the banks of Satluj river and the prestigious Ranjit Sagar Dam at Shahpur Kandi as it had a tremendous untapped tourism potential which could be exploited optimally. He demanded Rs 6.5 crore for the preservation and development of the historic Bahadurgarh Fort in Patiala and Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala districts.

Besides, the Chief Minister also raised the demand for a grant of Rs five crore for the development of Hoshiarpur as a 'Normal Tourist Destination'.

The Chief Minster also sought Ms Soni's personal intervention to prevail upon Railways Ministry to ensure that the original pattern of revenue sharing between the state government and the railways on 50:50 instead of 45:55 basis, as raised by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation for running a luxury train in Punjab was maintained.

Responding to the demands put forth by the Chief Minister, Ms Soni suggested that the services of conservationists and experts recommended by her Ministry for the promotion of river tourism in the state should be engaged. She also asked the Chief Minister to send a team of officers of the state tourism department to discuss implementation of the various Centrally sponsored schemes and plans for the promotion of tourism and culture with officials of her Ministry.

She also suggested that the state government rename the Wagah Beautification Plan as Attari-Wagah Beautification Plan.

UNI