Uttaranchal plans Rs 512cr 'Eco City'

Engages Ramnagar Eco Park for project at Hempur

In a bid to attract more tourists, the Uttaranchal government is planning to set up a Rs 512-crore Eco City at Hempur in Udham Singh Nagar district.

The Uttaranchal tourism board has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a consortium called Ramnagar Eco Park Private Limited in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here, A K Ghosh, additional secretary (tourism) of Uttaranchal government, said that the state was planning to encourage public-private partnership for developing the tourism sector in the state.

"At present, tourism contributes around 20 per cent of the state's gross domestic product (GDP), and in the next five years we plan to increase it to around 35 per cent," he said.

"The Taj Group of Hotels is planning to set up 10 budget hotels in the next three to five years. Its officials have already visited the state and the process of identifying suitable land is underway. The first phase of Taj works is expected to start in the next couple of months," Ghosh said.

The Uttaranchal government also proposes to set up a ski resort in Uttarkashi and develop nine rope ways across the state for which expressions of interest (EoIs) have already been signed.

Apart from this, the government also plans to introduce more facilities for the benefit of the tourists visiting the state.

"The state tourism is developing hubs throughout the state, which would focus on the tourism potential and the cultural heritage of the region. The primary hubs are Haridwar, Rishikesh, Govind Ghat, Almora, Pauri and Pithoragarh," Ghosh said.

In addition to these initiatives, the tourism department is also planning to develop Char Dham as a major pilgrimage centre. "A detailed master plan envisaging an investment of Rs 212 crore has already been submitted in this regard," he said.