The Gujarat government is considering a new tourism policy to create the required tourism infrastructure for meeting the need of the sharp rise in tourist visiting the state, as per a TOI report by Rajiv Shah. This entails setting-up special tourism development authorities to cope with the problem. "While the proposal is being finalised, these authorities or zones will be on the lines of Special Investment Regions (SIRs) or urban development authorities," a senior official said.
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The official informed, "Preliminary discussions have been held. Spots like Somnath and Dwarka, which attract the largest number of tourists, remain dirty. Tourists return disillusioned because of the lack of basic infrastructure, including clean toilets, drinking water and reasonable hotels. The notified tourism authority will have the right to regulate the creation of infrastructure on public-private partnership model. Local elected bodies will have no right over the notified area."
The authorities will be required to prepare a basic plan for infrastructure, including coming up with tourism-centric town planning schemes, allowing permissions to hotels and resorts conducive to the area. Each authority will be ruled by a class one CEO and chaired by the district collector. It will have the right to land acquisition for tourism development in the same way as the urban development authority does for regulated urbanidation.
The areas chosen in the first phase, where tourism-related infrastructure will be developed, include four religious spots, Somnath, Dwarka, Dakor and Ambaji, and a few beaches, including Mandvi in Kutch and Umbergaon in South Gujarat. Also under discussion are the White Rann of Kutch and the periphery of the Gir sanctuary, where tourist inflow has increased sharply of late.
"A recent study by Infrastructure Lease and Financial Services (IL&FS) first suggested setting-up of local tourism development authorities, the official said.
He added, "IL&FS also said municipalities and panchayats do not have the necessary competence for creating tourism infrastructure, not to talk of keeping the area clean. A draft law, Gujarat Special Tourism Development and Regulatory Bill, has been prepared to enable the government to set-up these authorities or zones."
Suggesting the scope of the problem, the official said, "The government had several meetings with local authorities in Somnath to keep the sea coast clean for tourists, but without result. Same is the case with other spots. Without a local regulatory authority, land sharks haphazardly buy up land for speculative ends, as has happened around Gir. Prices of land there have shot up eight-fold."