Big plans but no funds

HYDERABAD: Though the state government boasts of having achieved 16 per cent growth in tourist inflow compared to 2009-10 on account of new initiatives and focussed attention on tourism, and is going to announce a new policy on Monday, but the fact that remains is, the department has been suffering for want of funds to complete several ongoing projects.The tourism department was allocated a small amount of Rs 62 crore in the 2010 budget and according to official sources the release of funds has been almost nil and the department had to depend on Rs 14 crore it had received as central grant recently. The state is due to get a total of Rs 25 crore from the Centre.
This has helped the department to release Rs 3 crore for Beach tourism in Prakasam district, Rs 2.54 crore for projects in Srikakulam district, Rs 1.85 crore for tourism development in Jammulamma reservoir in Mahbubnagar district, Rs 1.30 crore for Kurnool circuit tourism development and Rs 2.27 crore for eco-tourism project in Adilabad district.
The proposed new policy speaks of mobilising Rs 1500 crore as investments for development of tourism and says that it would take all the potential tourist spots in each district as a unit but is yet to work out the detailed estimations about the total cost involved in taking up these projects.
Even the claim of developing 43 fast-track projects under Jalayagnam is not a new announcement. This was announced by the government when the Jalayagnam projects were announced in 2004. The river cruise circuit works from Pattiseema in East Godavari district to Srisailam in Mahbubnagar district is one such example. The project supposed to have over by 2010, but only a few works have been completed so far. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 4.25 crore of which the Centre has given Rs 3 crore as its share. Still the works are on a slow pace.