Officials told to accelerate completion of pending projects

Visakhapatnam: Minister of Tourism, Culture and Cinematography Kandula Durgesh said that the state has all the necessary resources for the development of the tourism sector.

On Sunday, the Tourism Minister inspected various development projects undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) in Visakhapatnam. During his visit, the officials explained tourist footfalls during the season and facilities provided to them in detail to the minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Durgesh alleged that due to the negligence and corruption witnessed during the previous government, a number of projects continue to be pending. The revenue generated from tourism was lost due to incompletion of projects, including Haritha Resorts and Punnami Yatri Nivas, he added. As a result, the minister pointed out that there is a possibility of loss of revenue to the government.

Although 90 per cent of the funds have been spent on various modernisation works undertaken with an estimated cost of Rs 8.6 crore, an additional fund of Rs 4 crore would be required to complete the projects on time, the minister said. The minister said that some of the tourism project works were supposed to be completed by August 31, but the YSRCP government failed to finish them.

After enquiring with the concerned contractor for details of such projects, the contractor mentioned that the previous government suggested new changes with oral instructions and hence the cost of the projects has increased.

Further, the Tourism Minister said that the permission of the Forest Department and Coastal Regulation Zone should be taken to make Bangladeshi vessel MV Maa that drifted off Visakhapatnam sea coast and soon, a decision would be taken to make the ship a floating restaurant.

Also, Durgesh clarified that temple tourism would be developed through Central government’s scheme PRASAD, while iconic tourist projects will be undertaken through Swadeshi Darshan along with the development of eco-tourism and adventure tourism.

The officials were advised not to compromise on the quality of facilities provided to the tourists.

Several suggestions were given to the officials regarding the modernisation works to be undertaken. The minister instructed the officials to accelerate pending projects and make them accessible to the tourists. Later, the Minister inspected the Tenneti Park near Visakhapatnam and unveiled a tourism brochure. APTDC officials accompanied the minister during the visit.