Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has urged the Tourism Ministry and the Maharashtra government to consider a proposal for the development of scuba diving and aquarium in Sindhudurg to promote marine tourism.
The commerce ministry has received a proposal from the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and the Indian Institute of Scuba Diving and Aquatic Sports (IISDA) Malwan, Sindhudurg, for setting up of these facilities under a comprehensive plan to encourage marine tourism along the coast of Maharashtra, according to a letter by Prabhu to the tourism department and the state government.
In the letter to Tourism Minister K J Alphons and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the commerce minister noted that the marine leisure sector is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry.
The proposal includes development of scuba diving and domestic cruise tourism destinations at Angria Bank, submarine tourism in Sindhudurg, setting up India's largest aquarium in Sindhudurg, the commerce ministry said in a statement quoting Prabhu.
Prabhu has requested the tourism minister and the chief Minister to consider the proposal for early action under the champion sector initiative of the commerce ministry.
In February, the Union Cabinet had decided to give focused attention to 12 champion services sectors and mandated the identified nodal ministries and departments to formulate sectoral action plans under the dedicated fund of Rs 5,000 crore.