The Hindu Business Line : Govt chalks out plans to develop coastal tourism

In an effort to exploit the full tourist potential of its 720-km-long coastline stretching from Mumbai to the southern tip of the State, Maharashtra plans to develop a series of beach resorts along its coast under two schemes — the Konkan Package to be completed with State Government support in two phases, and the Konkan Riviera, comprising three segments to be completed with assistance from the Centre.

Mr Bhushan Gagrani, Managing Director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, said the State was focused on the coastal region because of the inherent potential for tourism development in this area. It also has its eye on tourist traffic to Goa, looking for more calm, clean beaches.

Infrastructure

The Konkan region, he said, was well connected with the Konkan Railway and the National Highway passing through it. The airports at Ratnagiri and neighbouring Goa had also improved access to this region. Further, the Konkan coast, he said, had a rich cultural tradition, and was home to folk art forms like the Dashavtar and the art of Chitraguti. The fertile strip had dense forest cover and would be a draw for the nature lover.

The first phase of the Central Government assisted project, Konkan Riviera I, would focus on three sites — Jaigarh (near Ratnagiri); Vijayadurg (a fort); and the Sindhudurg (a sea fort built by Shivaji). A sum of Rs 5 crore has been allocated for the development of tourism infrastructure such as resorts, information kiosks and toilet blocks at the three sites.

Focus on coastal towns

The Konkan Riviera II would take up the development of five coastal towns, namely, Diveagar, Harihareshwar, Ubhadanda near Vengurla, Dhampur, a lake resort where a traditional Konkani Wada would be set up, and Amboli, a hill station in Sindhudurg district.

Work on the Konkan Riviera III would be on focused on Mandvi near Ratnagiri, Ganapatipule, Velneshwar near Dabhol, and Tarkarli where rooms would be added to the existing facilities.

Phase I and II of the Konkan Riviera Project would be completed by December 2006, while Phase III would be through by mid-2007.

These development works would be supplemented with other infrastructure works such as road works and establishing water and power lines, he said.

The MTDC has also placed orders for three boats under the Konkan Package. Further, it has leased land to the Fomento group for the development of an upmarket property under the Cidade de Goa brand in Sindhudurg.

To improve accessibility to the area, MTDC is also working on an airstrip near Vengurla, at the southern tip of the State, capable of handling small and medium-sized aircraft.

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