Taj Mahal, Somnath Temple among 17 sites to be developed as 'Iconic Tourist Sites'

New Delhi, July 24: Union ministry of tourism has identified 17 sites in 12 clusters in the country for development under Iconic Tourist Sites Development Project, pursuant to Budget Announcements of 2018-19.

These 17 sites included Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh; Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra; Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar in Delhi; Colva beach in Goa; Amer Fort in Rajasthan; Somnath and Dholavira in Gujarat; Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh; Hampi in Karnataka; Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu; Kaziranga in Assam; Kumarakom in Kerala; Mahabodhi Bihar.

The Ministry will be developing these above mentioned sites in a holistic manner with focus on issues concerning connectivity to the destination, better facilities and experience for the tourists at the site, skill development, involvement of local community, promotion and branding and by bringing in private investment.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism K J Alphons informed the Rajya Sabha that monuments taken up for development under the above mentioned project fall under the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and State Archeology Departments.

The Ministry will carry out interventions at these monuments in collaboration with the ASI and State Government, and all development plans will have elements of universal accessibility, cleanliness at the monuments, use of Green Technology and enhanced security for the tourists.