Shamuka tourism project: Odisha plans infra to boost investor interest

Back in 2008, when the Odisha government invited bids from hoteliers for its ambitious Shamuka tourism project, it found only three bidders in the final round. The lacklustre turnout in the final bids was a setback as during the pre-bidding stage, all the leading hoteliers  - Taj Group of Hotels and Resorts, ITC, Park Hotels, Ananda Spa, Emaar MGF with Hyatt, DLF with Hilton, Unitech with Starhood and Zoom Developers with Kamat hotels - had shown interest in the prized project. 

Despite the appeal of the project site, investor interest fizzled out as the site chosen lacked the basic infrastructure. The