DRMumbai: Manipur Governor Dr Najma A Heptulla inaugurated the ambitious project ‘Development of North East Circuit: Imphal & Khongjom’ in Imphal.
The project, the first to be inaugurated under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in the country, was launched in the presence of N Biren Singh, Chief Minister, Manipur; K J Alphons, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism; and Rashmi Verma, Secretary-Tourism, Govt. of India.
Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Tourism for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner.
The scheme was launched in 2014 -15 and as on date, the Ministry has sanctioned 70 projects for Rs. 5708.88 crore to 29 States and UTs under the Scheme. Around 30 projects / major components of these projects are expected to be completed this year.
The project was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in September 2015 for Rs. 72.30 crore. The project covers two sites – Kangla Fort and Khongjom.
Under the project, the Ministry has carried out works like restoration and improvement of outer and inner moat and rejuvenation of sacred ponds; reconstruction of old rampart; sound and light show, construction of rock garden, utility block; audio guide, eco-friendly conveyance, development of crafts houses and parking on Naga Nullah; polo gallery; reception and ticket Counter.
The work has been carried out at a cost of Rs. 63.90 crore. Khongjom is the place where the last war of resistance of Anglo Manipur War of 1891 was fought. Under the project, a Pedestrian bridge and rejuvenation of Kombirei Lake have also been carried out for Rs. 4.89 crore.
Development of Tourism in North Eastern Region is a prime area of focus for the Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry is developing the tourism infrastructure in the region under its schemes of Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD. Together under both the schemes, the Ministry has sanctioned 15 projects covering all North Eastern states for Rs. 1301.47 crore.
North Eastern states received a total of 1.69 lakh foreign tourists during 2017 as against 1.45 lakh in 2016, registering a growth of 16.7 per cent over 2016.
The domestic tourist arrivals touched 95.47 lakh in 2017, an impressive double-digit growth of 22.8 per cent, over against 77.71 lakh in 2016. The increased number of tourists, in turn, has created better employment opportunity for the local population in the region.
