New Delhi, May 30
The Centre has agreed in principle to sanction Rs 25 crore for developing Amritsar as a major tourist destination.
This was conveyed by union tourism minister Ambika Soni to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal when he met her today in the Capital. The Centre has already sanctioned Rs 5 crore under the “Normal destination development scheme” for Amritsar.
At his meeting with Soni, Badal sought her help to prevail upon the Ministry of Railways to ensure that the original pattern of revenue sharing on a 50:50 basis was maintained between the state government and the Railways for running a luxury train in Punjab. The Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency for this project. Badal demanded Rs 6.5 crore for the preservation of historic Bahadurgarh Fort in Patiala and Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district. He sought Rs 5 crore for the development of Hoshiarpur as a normal tourist destination. He said river tourism can be developed along the banks of the Sutlej and Ranjit Sagar Dam at Shahpur Kandi.
According to an official spokesman, Soni urged the Chief Minister to send a team of officers from state tourism department to discuss ways for the implementation of the various centrally sponsored schemes. She suggested renaming Wagah Beautification Plan as Attari-Wagah Beautification Plan.
