OLD GOA
Stating that Goa is the pride of India, Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy said the Centre will provide all assistance to boost tourism in the State.
Reddy was speaking at the inauguration of a helipad at Old Goa on Monday in the presence of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Deputy Chief Minister Babu Ajgaonkar, GTDC Chairperson Dayanand Sopte, Cumbarjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar and others.
Speaking further, Reddy said Goa is an important tourist destination in the country as people from all over India and the world want to be here.
“Goa is the pride of the country and hence Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to provide all assistance to boost tourism in the State. The PM has given a message that the Centre and the BJP are with Goa,” he
informed.
“As Goa is celebrating 60 years of its Liberation, the Centre will provide financial assistance to Goa under various initiatives like circuit tourism, Prasad scheme and also help develop churches under the ASI. We have already given some finance and will be giving more finance in the future,” Reddy stated.
“For the last two years, Covid has affected tourism not only in Goa but all over the world and we will try to give assistance to the State to get tourism back on track. I will sit with the CM, State government officers and central officers to chalk out ways to boost infrastructure and other amenities for tourism,” he said.
“We will see to it that there are increased employment opportunities for Goans in the tourism sector,” promised Reddy, while assuring that his ministry would conduct a survey next month to achieve this plan.
Speaking on the occasion, Sawant said the State government has finally got its own helipad which will help boost heli-tourism in the State.
“The helipad, constructed at a cost of Rs 5 crore, will be used by the government and private sector to boost tourism,” said Sawant, while thanking the Centre for helping Goa gets its own helipad.
The helipad is developed as part of the Swadesh Darshan Coastal circuit theme. Regular heli tours and related activities will be conducted from this site, which is expected to promote high-end tourism in the State.
The site would be handed over to an operations and management partner, a tendering process for which is underway to select an eligible bidder. Heli tours from the site are expected to begin from December this year after all permissions and approvals are obtained.
50 tourism projects in pipeline: Sopte
OLD GOA: GTDC Chairman Dayanand Sopte said around 50 more tourism-related projects are in the pipeline. “Not only helipad, but other projects like renovation of the Aguada jail have been taken up and they will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sometime soon,” said Sopte.
‘Rs 58 cr to beautify Old Goa churches’
OLD GOA: GTDC Chairman Dayanand Sopte said the beautification of the Old Goa churches has been planned as part of the Prasad scheme. “A financial approval of almost Rs 58 crore has been granted for the beautification of the Old Goa churches and tendering process for this has started,” Sopte added.
