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myriad problems
Bhubaneswar, March 11: The Union tourism ministry has included the holy city of Puri on the list of 12 pilgrimage centres from across the country which will have an infrastructural revamp in order to provide better facilities to tourists.
Union minister of state for tourism Mahesh Sharma told the Lok Sabha Monday that a fund of Rs100 crore will be disbursed in order to boost infrastructure in 12 cities across the country under the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD).
“In pursuance of the budget announcement 2014-15, the ministry has launched a National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) under which initially 12 cities namely Amritsar, Ajmer, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Kedarnath, Kamakhya, Puri, Varanasi and Vellankani have been identified for development. The scheme will be implemented in a mission mode and developing world-class infrastructure in these cities is one of the mission objectives of the scheme,” a release issued by the department said.
However, exact details of how the department is planning to pursue the mission and the amount of funds allotted for Puri were not disclosed. Calls and emails to the tourism department in Delhi and in the city did not elicit any response.
While welcoming the move, most experts in the tourism sector were unanimously of the opinion that the amount that has been sanctioned is too little for an infrastructural boost.
Talking to Orissa Post, Himanshu Das, vice-president, Travel Agents Association of Orissa, said the city faces several issues and the funding was inadequate.
“The amount is very less when we talk about issues such as improving infrastructure in Puri. The city is grappling with myriad issues which the government needs to address. Sanitation and hygiene are important issues. When the Centre talks about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, it must start with pilgrim sites so that lakhs of people who throng these sites do not face sanitation problems,” Das said.
“There are many areas which need to be targeted in Puri in order to boost tourism there. As the amount is not huge, the government needs to prioritise the areas in which it wants to spend,” Benjamin Simon, chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators (Orissa Chapter), said.
“Starting battery-operated vehicles for the disabled and the elderly old can be a good idea. Waiting sheds along the Grand Road from Srimandir to Gundicha temple and availability of drinking water can also prove to be very helpful for pilgrims,” Simon said.
“Non-Hindus are restricted from entering Srimandir. For them, a 3D interpreter could be installed outside the temple so that they can get a taste of the sculpture and art of the temple without having to go inside,” Simon added.
