January 6, 2015
Bengal – Surging ahead in Tourism sector
West Bengal is a land of scenic beauty as well as rich cultural heritage. While on one hand, the State can boast providing tourist attractions such as mountains, wildlife, sea beaches and historical sites, on the other hand, in the field of entertainment, Bengal has been a frontrunner from cinema to theatre, literature to philosophical works.The last three years saw a surge in both tourism and entertainment sector with numerous newer projects commissioned andcompleted.
Tourism
From the majestic hills at Darjeeling, to the beauty of Dooars, the historic places at Burdhaman, Murshidabad, the temples of Bishnupur, the forests at Jangalmahal, the Ayodha hills at Purulia the vibrant city of Kolkata, the Royal Bengal Tiger of Sundarbans, the holy place of Gangasagar and the virgin beaches of Bay of Bengal, Bengal has it all. Sundarbans and Darjeeling have been announced as UNESCO World Heritage site.
Digha
Tourism is an area of focus for the new government. The budgetary allocation has been increased from 32 crore to 180 crore for the year 2014-15 and proper infrastructure are being put to place. Here are a few of the achievements of the government under the leadership of CM Ms Mamata Banneree:
• Tourism is being developed under the PPP model in Gajoldoba, Jharkhali, Sabujdwip. New eco tourism parks, lodges adventure sports and other projects are being undertaken. Tourism parks are being created in Saili, Kunjanagar and Jaldapara. A tourist lodge is being constructed at Jhargram Rajbari under PPP model.
• Darjeeling and Dooars : The work of Eastern Dooars Tourism Circuit is complete and the work is going on the Western Circuit and the Mega Circuit project. Work of eco tourism project in Buxaduar is in the last phase. New tourist lodge is opened in Lamahata and renovation done for Tashi Ding Tourist Lodge. Vacant spaces in tea gardens will be used to develop and build tourist lodge.
Darjeeling
• Digha-Mandarmoni-Tajpur: A new Digha gateway has been constructed. A roadmarine drive from Digha and Mandarmoni is being planned. 36 tourist cottages have been constructed in Udaipur.
• Sunderban and Sagar Island: World’s first Mangrove is being set up. Tourist lodge, tourism complex, eco tourism parks and new jetties are being set up.
Sundarbans
• Jangalmahal: A circuit tourism is being set up in West Midnapore involving Jhargram, Belpahari and Hatibari. The project includes the development of Kankrajhore, Ketkijhora, Gurasini Hills, Ghagra Waterfalls, Ratneshwar Temple etc. Murutbaha Eco-Park is being built in Susunia Hills. Two circuit tourism projects, one involving Bankura, Susunia Hill, Saltora Range has been taken up and the other for Ayodhya Hills, Khayraberia and Murardi Dam are being taken up.
Ajodhya Hills, Purulia
• Gangasagar: CM Ms Mamata Banerjee visited Gangasagar with a team of industrialists. A new deep sea port will be set up with an investment of 12,000 crore. Three new beaches were named as “Dheusagar”, “Rupsagar” and “Bhorsagar”.
• Special emphasis has been given to cultural tourism, heritage tourism and home stay tourism,
• A lot of beautification projects have taken place. A new eco park and a new wax museum has been opened in Rajarhaat.
Entertainment Industry
Bengal has a rich history of heritage and culture. Calcutta is called as the culture capital of India, and under the leadership of CM Ms Mamata Banerjee, entertainment industry has found a new hope. Below are some of the noted achievements
• Six floors in the memory of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Tapan Sinha, Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen and Rituparno Ghosh have been constructed in the studio and the technician studio has been mordernised.
• Kolkata International Film Festival is now celebrated with greater grandeur. Various delegates from all over the globe grace the occasion. For the first time, Children’s Film Festival is also being organised.
• Renovation of various sites have been undertaken like the Minerva Theatre, Mahajati Sadan, Nazrul Manch, State Music Academy and etc
• Special assistance is given to folk artists. Pensions being given to many artists, technicians etc.
• Full scale film cities are being constructed in Dabgram and Baruipur.
Come to Bengal… Ride the growth: bengalglobalsummit.com
