Centre sanctions Rs 98.35 cr for Assam Heritage Circuit

Union Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Mahesh Sharma on Sunday announced Rs 98.35 crore for a Heritage Circuit in Assam under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.

Guwahati, Apr 3: Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned Rs 98.35 crore for a Heritage Circuit in Assam under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.

This amount which has been sanctioned for development of the Tezpur, Majuli and Sivasagar circuit under the Swadesh Darshan scheme,Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Mahesh Sharma announced following a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati on Sunday night.

The first instalment of Rs 19.67 crore against the sanctioned amount was released by the Centre on March 31, 2017. The scheme also includes development of a composite tourist infrastructure in Majuli comprising a centre near Kamalabari ghat, log huts, watch towers, cafeteria, elevated walkway, solar illumination, landscaping, etc, worth Rs 61.26 crore, development of Ranghar, Joy Sagar and Talatal Ghar in Sivasagar and Kanaklata Udayan and Bamuni Hills in Tezpur.

Development of this heritage circuit will give a tremendous boost to Tourism in Assam against the background of the publicity received during the Namami Brahmaputra festival.

The Union Tourism Ministry has decided to transfer the rights of Brahmaputra Ashok Hotel, which is presently managed by the ITDC, to the Assam government and all necessary modalities to formalise the transfer will be executed within the next 15 days.

The Tourism Ministry has also decided to work collectively to enlist Majuli in the coveted list of World Heritage Site and has already engaged the Archaeological Survey of India to prepare the dossier for submitting it to the UNESCO.

The Union Tourism Ministry has also sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the Namami Brahmaputra festival organized for the first time by the Assam Government to glorify the river Brahmaputra as well as to promote globally tourism, economy and civilization of the state.

The Chief Minister also expressed his gratitude to the Centre for this gesture and has expressed hope that the Tourism Ministry will continue to provide support in developing Assam as a prime tourist destination.

The Government of Assam has also submitted a memorandum to the Union Tourism Minister on various issues concerning development of tourism sector in the state.

PTI