The Hindu Business Line : Sahara to make Sundarbans global tourist destination

THE Sahara group today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the West Bengal government for implementing a tourism project in the Sundarbans that with make it a global destination.

Talking to reporters after the signing of documents at the State secretariat, Mr Subrata Roy, Sahara's Chief Managing Worker and Chairman, said that work on the project was likely to start this winter after getting the environment clearances from the State government and the Centre. "We have already had informal talks but now we would start talks formally," he said. The agreement was signed by Mr R.K. Tripathi, West Bengal Tourism Secretary and Mr O. Dixit, Director of Sahara.

He said that Sahara was very conscious of its responsibilities on the environmental front and would do everything possible not only to preserve it but also to enhance the fragile environment in the world's largest delta.

"We will make it a global destination," he said.

Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, said that the State cabinet has taken a decision to provide the Sahara group with land necessary for this Rs 500 crore project. The MoA was signed today on the basis of the final report prepared by the group. The project would be a joint venture between Sahara India Tourism Development Corporation and the West Bengal government.

Mr Roy said that the project which would be implemented in phased manner will need a total of 25 square km of area. Most of the project would be located on floatels which would be constructed with overseas help. "We are not averse to using the expertise of India companies but we will not compromise on quality," Mr Roy said.

It may be mentioned that of the 102 islands in the Sundarbans area, 54 have no forest cover. The Sahara project is proposed to be located mostly in the buffer area of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve according to the DPR submitted to the Government.

Of the project cost, about Rs 300-crore is proposed to be spent on creating basic facilities with the remaining being spent on developing the land. Mr Roy was unwilling to comment on the funding pattern but it was likely to be a mix of internal resources, equity and borrowing and the timeshare approach.

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