Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is working on a Tourism Land Bank Scheme to facilitate the availability of land for accommodation facilities and other tourism infrastructure, officials said.
The proposal was discussed at a meeting of the State Tourism Promotion Council (STPC), chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, which stressed GIS-based land mapping and digital monitoring for identification, suitability assessment and allotment of land for tourism projects.
The council reviewed prog ress on decisions taken at its previous meeting, including allotment of government land, development of tourist destinations and implementation of the Tourism Land Bank Scheme.
It also discussed plans to establish Odia food restaurants in cities and tourist destinations across the state to showcase Odisha’s traditional cuisine and culinary heritage as part of its tourism offerings.
The council considered proposals for extending deadlines of approved tourism projects that have faced implementation delays, besides a proposed one-time settlement scheme for tourism units approved under the previous tourism policy but unable to avail themselves of promotional incentives for various reasons.
The meeting emphasised reducing procedural delays, resolving land and permission-related bottlenecks and making the investment process simpler and time-bound.
Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary N.B.S. Rajput and Tourism Commission er-cum-Secretary Balwant Singh attended the meeting.
