Gujarat to invest Rupees 600 crore in tourism projects

Gandhinagar, July 2 : The Gujarat government Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to develop tourism facilities in the state and revamp road infrastructure in its coastal region.

The government will invest as much as Rs.600 crore this fiscal to develop "world-class tourism facilities" in many destinations, including Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace Porbandar, Dandi, Narayan Sarovar-Koteshwar and Siddhpur, an official at the state tourism department said.

The government has also decided to develop a highway connecting towns like Junagadh, Somnath, Porbander and Dwarka.

The highway will pass through the Arabian sea front, making it attractive for tourists to take longer tours in Gujarat's coastal regions, the official said.

The government will also develop lesser known beaches at Sarkheshwar in Amreli, Shivrajpur in Jamnagar, Suvali in Surat and Tithal in Valsad.

"The work of developing the lesser-known beaches in the western and southern parts of the state will be taken up by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB)," the official said.

The tourism development plan would give special focus to Sasangir, home to the Asiatic lions, and the historical town of Junagadh.

The Sorath region in Saurashtra will be developed on a priority basis as a "tourism hub" considering its proximity to the historic Somnath temple, Ahmedpur-Mandvi beach and Gir forest, he added.