Delhi's budget tourist hubs to get facelift ahead of Games

New Delhi, Nov 4 : Paharganj and Karol Bagh, two congested areas of the national capital that house innumerable budget hotels and crummy guest houses, are soon to get a facelift before next year's Commonwealth Games, Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said here Wednesday.

Selja, while making the announcement, said the transport ministry had already allocated Rs.44 crore (Rs.440 million) for Paharganj and Rs.33 crore for Karol Bagh to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which takes care of the two areas.

Many backpackers prefer to stay in these two areas, though crowded and rundown in places, due to the affordable accommodation they offer besides their central location.

"Under this, the MCD will be taking care of the roads and surrounding areas," Selja told reporters at the Economic Editors' Conference.

The minister said that her ministry too gave the MCD Rs.11 crore for building two parking bays and other civic amenities in these two areas.

"A Singapore style stack car parking will come up in Paharganj before the Commonwealth Games," she said.

In this hydraulic stack parking system, cars can be moved vertically or horizontally with powerful hydraulic lifts. These will be multi-level parking lots.

Selja said the ministry was working on creating additional 30,000 rooms in and around the national capital.

"We are holding regular monitoring of ongoing projects. In the recent review meeting, of the 10,268 rooms, which are ready, 5,645 were found to be complete and directions have been given to complete the remaining well before the Oct 3 grand event," she added.

"All agencies are cooperating in the work," she said.

Selja said the services of around 11,000 rooms available from the licensed guest houses will also be utilized.

"We will also be taking up major promotional campaigns in the key markets of Commonwealth countries coinciding with the Queen's Baton Relay. The campaign will continue along with the Queen's Baton Relay in those Commonwealth countries, which are key source markets for India," she said.

Elaborating on the amount to be given to the improvement of Karol Bagh and Paharganj, Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee said: "This Rs.77 crore amount is under the central roads funds and major overhaul is expected of the area to attract as many tourists as possible."

About the stack parking, he said: "About Rs.4.7 crore each has been given to the MCD to build these two parking bays."

Banerjee said training programmes had also been conducted for owners of hotels and guest houses in the two localities on how to behave with the guests and what kind of facilities to provide.

Selja said that during the Queen's Baton Relay major print and outdoor media campaign was launched in London where the event took place.

India expects over 100,000 tourists during the Oct 3-14, 2010, Commonwealth Games.

--IANS