Rs 18 crore makeover for Varanasi ghats?

TNN

New Delhi, May 28, 2014 : A two-year-old project to rejuvenate Varanasi’s ghats could get a boost under the new government with the new tourism and culture minister, Shripad Naik, announcing he would discuss plans for the holy city with PM Narendra Modi.

 

The tourism ministry in 2012 sanctioned Rs 18 crore to improve the ghats, build jetties, repaint garishly hotel walls with aesthetic colours, improve signages and remove ugly advertisements. Two years on, not a paisa has been spent on the project. Asked if he had plans for River Ganga and Varanasi, one of the two seats Modi won in the Lok Sabha polls, Naik said: "We want to develop Varanasi as a tourist city. He has a vision for the holy city."

 

 

Sources said the plan had remained on paper because of the state government’s indifference. "We hope this will change with the new administration,’’ a source said. The project was supposed to be completed by October 2013.

 

Naik, who held charge of tourism during NDA’s previous term, said development of infrastructure was essential for the sector’s growth. Issues concerning visa and security need to be addressed and tourists should feel safe in the country, he said. "There are problems regarding visa and security of tourists and these will be addressed to attract more foreign visitors." Referring to incidents involving foreign tourists, he said, "There have been some incidents, which have created a bad name for the country. We need to address them."

 

Naik, who has been given additional charge of culture, said the tourism sector had tremendous job-creating capacity and should be given a boost. Seeking cooperation of other ministries, he said: "We need support from civil aviation, home and other departments to boost tourism."

 

The minister said he’d improve facilities and bring together culture and tourism to attract more tourists to the country.