Virtually dubbing the blue-and-white colour scheme of the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government as an "eyesore", BJP parliamentarian Roopa Ganguly on Friday accused the state government for masking the natural hue of forests with blue.
"Few months back I was in Jaldapara and there I have seen that it looks the best when you don't paint the trees, when you don't manicure the garden," Ganguly said.
"When we were under British rule there were a lot of forest bungalows and in Bengal we have lovely forest bungalows. If those are kept without colouring them blue then it would really be nice. Green should remain green. This is one small request," Ganguly said here in her address at the "Indo-US Promotion of Travel and Tourism" conference.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader alleged the state government was not doing enough to promote its tourism potential.
"No its not promoted as much as it should be. To go to Buxa Tiger Reserve, the bridge that has broken has to be repaired. But there is no need to paint it blue and white. It should not be an eyesore. The jungle colour should be maintained and it should not distract you. These are the aesthetic details that need to be kept in mind," she said.
The conference organised by Indo American Chamber of Commerce in support with US Consulate General showcased eastern states' potential and positives as tourism destination. It saw representatives from Assam, Odisha among others.
Asked on the absence of any Bengal tourism department representative in the conference, Ganguly abstained from "discussing politics."
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She also advocated appointment of celebrities from different spheres of life as brand ambassadors as against focusing entirely on TV and film personalities.
"There are people who are working on jungles. They are well known in their field.
I don't want to take any names but whoever is the Bengal brand ambassador, do they actually love the state? Will they be affected if a tribal community is facing a problem," she posed.
"Those who are really interested, those who can work with tribes and think about community and tourism development and are willing to take up the responsibility should be there," she said.
Asked on megastar Amitabh Bachchan promoting Gujarat, she maintained her views are the same for everyone.
"Brand ambassador is not just for show on TV. They should have a sense of responsibility," she said.
--IANS
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