Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal promotes eco-tourism

Sukna (West Bengal), Sep. 17: The officials of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in Sukna near West Bengal’s Siliguri District have involved the local villagers in protecting the wildlife and the bio-diversity of the sanctuary.

Divisional Forest Officer of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary Tapas Das said that eco- tourism would enable the villagers to make themselves economically stable.

“See what we are doing here is we are trying to conserve the bio-diversity and protect the wildlife by way of this kind of eco-tourism. We are trying to make the villagers economically sustainable,” said Das.

“They can earn something from this, and as a result what happens they get interested and they protect the wildlife as far as the bio-diversity of the national park and the sanctuaries,” he added.

Villagers have been enrolled to participate in the project as guides and local girls will display their talent by presenting dance and vocal music for tourists.

The area is replete with wild life such as spotted deer; elephants, bisons, birds and butterflies which could be a great tourist attraction.

Villagers say they are happy with the initiative of including them in uplifting their economic status as well as promoting their culture and tradition.

“All the tourists who will visit, we will be able to interact with them and have a direct interaction with them. They will understand our culture and tradition. We want to promote our culture and tradition through this. And with the eco-tourism our culture and tradition will be able to move forward,” said Karan Thapa, a forest villager.

Some other exotic animals seen in the sanctuary are Royal Bengal Tiger, Himalayan black bear, rare mountain goat (Serow), porcupines and snakes. by Tarak Sarkar(ANI)

FOCUS: TOURISM IN WEST BENGAL

Interview with Manabendra Mukherjee, West Bengal Tourism Minister by Surhid Sankar Chattopadhay published in FRONTLINE, Issue 06 :: Mar. 13-26, 2010

WEST Bengal Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee has come up with a number of new projects to promote tourism in the State, unique among them being the concept of river tourism. Mukherjee became a Minister for the first time in 1996 in the Jyoti Basu Cabinet. Known for his innovative approach in handling issues relating to the various departments he has headed over the years, Mukherjee feels that with greater effort the tourism sector in the State can attract more foreign and domestic tourists.

Excerpts from an interview:

What is the tourism situation in West Bengal today?

I would say it is okay; not very satisfactory. As far as foreign tourist arrival is concerned our State is ranked sixth. In the domestic tourism sector, we are ranked eighth. While the rankings are not quite bad, it is still far from satisfactory. We have to push hard to attract more foreign and domestic tourists.But West Bengal has practically all that is required to make it a top tourist destination.

It is correct that West Bengal has practically everything to make it a tourist hub. In fact, it is a mini-India in itself. It has everything except the result [smiles]. But I must say that it is also a question of perception. After the 1960s, there has been a deliberate attempt to portray West Bengal in a negative light and that has deterred a lot of tourist inflow. Now that is changing. Every year the number of tourists coming to West Bengal is increasing. If we push hard, we can disprove the wrong perception of the State.

What are your thrust areas for promoting tourism?

There are some category-wise thrust areas and those dictated by geographical considerations. Our immediate thrust areas are very specific: first develop north Bengal, particularly the Doars as a major tourist destination; second, the river Ganga; third, the metropolitan city of Kolkata; fourth, Murshidabad, the old capital of Bengal; and finally, the district of Birbhum.

We are looking at the Doars, because it is one of the most beautiful places in West Bengal. River tourism is a new concept for us. The Ganga flows through the State. That is why we are trying to promote the Ganga as a major tourist attraction. Already quite a few river cruises are operating. We are developing the infrastructure along the river so that we can attract and accommodate more tourists, particularly international tourists. This is a completely new initiative and we are getting a positive response.

Now, let us look at Kolkata. We believe Kolkata has the potential to be a huge tourist attraction. It is just that it has never been marketed properly. Heritage tourism is another aspect that has been neglected slightly. The best place to promote this kind of tourism would be Murshidabad, which is also on the bank of the Ganga. We have a plan to promote a tour along the river, starting from the Sunderbans [at the mouth of the Ganga], through the city of Kolkata, right up to Murshidabad. We have already made a suggestion to the Centre for a tour route along the river from Sagardeep to Allahabad – a route with 5,000 years of the history of Indian civilisation behind it. As I have already mentioned, the response to the idea of river tourism has been very encouraging. We are also concentrating on developing tea tourism and rural tourism.

Are you looking at private participation in the projects that you have mentioned?

Most certainly. As far as economic planning is concerned, no government can afford to spend a huge amount only on tourism. If you take the priorities into consideration, it is more important to put a blackboard in a school than set up a tourist lodge or a hotel. As far as our declared policy on tourism is concerned, the State government’s focus will be mostly on the development of infrastructure to facilitate tourism and on the introduction of new tourist destinations; the rest will be done by private investors.

Can you tell us something about the new areas that you have introduced in the tourist map of West Bengal?

We are going to develop Ahiron Beel in Murshidabad and Ballavpurdanga in Birbhum. Everybody knows Murshidabad and Birbhum but very few people know about these other places. These are beautiful places but still largely undiscovered by tourists mainly owing to lack of proper infrastructure there. We have now set up a rural tourism centre at Ballavpurdanga, which is near Shantiniketan. What attracted Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and his son Rabindranath in Bolpur (where Shantiniketan is located) can no longer be found. Shantiniketan is beautiful, but it is not what Rabindranath saw when he first came to the region.

Ballavpurdanga, which is largely untouched by tourism, still retains the old charm of the region. The local tribal populations are directly involved in the project.

We are going to promote Chinatown in Kolkata as a tourist spot. Nowhere in India can you find a place like Chinatown [where the Chinese had settled over 150 years ago and still retain their culture and cuisine and celebrate their festivals].

Initially the people of Chinatown were a little hesitant about the whole project, as no one had really taken the initiative of putting the people of Chinese origin of Kolkata in the forefront of society. But now they are very enthusiastic about it and are participating actively in the project having understood that the government is serious about it and that they will benefit as the project will get them good business.

Some of the important tourist destinations in Bengal have been witnessing a bit of unrest – the Darjeeling hills, traditionally the most popular tourist spot in the State, with the secessionist movement launched by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha; and Bankura and Purulia districts where the Maoist menace is spreading. Has tourism been hit in the State because of these factors?

This is part of the game. The most attractive place in India is Kashmir, and for the past three decades that region has been a disturbed one. While it is true that we have to solve certain problems in the State, it is also a fact that the number of tourists coming to West Bengal has been increasing in spite of the problems that you have mentioned.

Definitely tourism in the State has been hampered to some extent in the sense that if the situation in Darjeeling were absolutely normal we could expect a far greater number of tourists. I was recently reading an article which said that the maximum number of transport strikes in the world takes place in Paris; does that deter tourists from going to Paris?

What are the areas that require more attention?

Basically, developing infrastructure and attracting more private investments in the tourism sector. Owing to the economic recession, investors have been a little shy to come forward and invest in tourism; but good days will return and they will come forward again. Meanwhile, we will have to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place.

DHR 128th anniv plans roll out

SILIGURI, 24 AUG: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is observing its 128th anniversary in collaboration with the North Bengal Science Centre through a slew of programmes including a photo exhibition showcasing the spectacular history of the toy train, now included amongst the Unesco world heritage sites. The postmaster general, North Bengal and Sikkim region, Mr Lalhluna, inaugurated the week-long exhibition being held on the NBSC premises. The joint director, tourism, West Bengal government, Mr Gopal Lama, the principal, Siliguri Institute of Technology, Mr S Dasgupta, the project co- coordinator, NBSC, Mr Rajib Nath and the director, DHR, Mr Subrata Nath were present. According to the DHR director, this year's programmes were kept low key in view of the indefinite postponement of the heritage service between New Jalpaiguri and Kurseong due to lanslides along the tracks. “We would celebrate the anniversary in a befitting manner in future,” Mr Subrata Nath said. Referring the frequent landslides in the hills, an octogenarian ex- DHR employee, Mr D B Thapa, who was felicitated on the occasion, issued a note of caution. “The unimpeded traffic flow involving heavy vehicles along the fragile hills might bring about natural calamities of grimmer magnitude in future. Those who love the hills must come forward to checkmate the unhindered vehicular movement to avoid a catastrophe,” Mr Thapa commented.

Siliguri-Sikkim broad gauge railway survey

GANGTOK, 18 JUNE: The North East Frontier Railway has begun a survey for broad gauge railway project between Siliguri and Gangtok. According to Mr Bimal Samanta, chief survey officer, NF Railway, a broad gauge railway line would be laid up to Gangtok following submission of the survey report.

The survey team is now busy at Kalijhora near the Teesta in West Bengal. The report of the first phase of the on going survey would be submitted to the Railway Board along with technical designs by the end of November. The New Jalpaiguri Division of NF railway would start executing the project from December 2009. According to Mr Samanta, the line would be laid up to Rangpo (Sikkim-West Bengal border) in the initial phase, while the railway line would reach Ranipool near Gangtok at later stages.

It was also learnt that at least 14 tunnels would come in between Rangpo and Siliguri along NH 31A. The Rangpo-Ranipool stretch would have another 10 tunnels in the much awaited railway project in the Himalayan state. When asked about the structural designs and feasibility, Mr Samanta added that the railway project would be based on the study of the hilly railway system of Switzerland.

WB to go for PPP in tourism promotion

KOLKATA: 13 Jun 2009- While the state government has been encouraging PPP partnership in tourism infrastructure development for quite some time, it now intends to extend this request of partnership to private players in the publicity field as well, given that the biggest obstacle to Bengal tourism continues to be a negative perception in tourists’ minds. This was stated by Manabendra Mukherjee, West Bengal’s minister-in-charge for tourism, textiles, micro & small-scale enterprises, on Saturday. He was speaking at an interactive session organised by CII, Eastern Region, in association with the state department of tourism to focus on promoting tourism in the state. Mr Mukherjee added that in the last two years, the budget allocation for publicity of Bengal’s tourism had increased 10-fold and the government is keen to double that in the coming days. According to him, though the state received about 11 lakh foreign tourists and 165 lakhs domestic travellers in 2007-08, there is still a lot of further scope. While the state tourism department intends to develop Jharkhali in Sunderbans and Mandarmoni in the Digha-Shankarpur stretch as prime spots for destination tourism, a Rs 25 crore project will start shortly in Murshidabad around Lalbagh, the capital of Nawab Siraj-ud-Dullah, to develop it as another site for destination heritage tourism. Work for tourism development will also start shortly in Birbhum where a tourism circuit will be developed around Shantiniketan. Ms Nandita Chatterjee, principal secretary, state department of tourism, added that a policy decision had been taken that the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd along with the private sector would set up SPVs (special purpose vehicles) for land banks after which the third party development partners would be urged to develop infrastructure in tourism. Mr Ravi Todi, Chairman, West Bengal State Council, CII (Eastern Region), said that to tap tourism potential in Bengal, the approach has to be two-pronged – targeting both domestic as well as international tourists. He identified some key issue sectors like infrastructure, marketing and promotion and urged the necessity to upgrade international air connectivity.

WBFDC launches first-of-its-kind Tourism Peace Park in the country

KOLKATA,Thursday, June 11, 2009: West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC) in association with Help Tourism has launched the first-of-its-kind Tourism Peace Park in Noam Chel Teesta situated near East of Teesta River and between Neora Valley National Park, Garumara National Park and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. This part of the said area, North of Oodlabari is mostly under the management of West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC) and the South area is mostly managed by the Baikanthapur Forest Division, therefore a major concern is the conservation of the rich natural resources. This Park has been launched in order to promote Community Based Tourism (CBT) in the East Himalayas. This information was divulged by Supratim Raj Basu, Ecotourism Consultant, Help Tourism.

In addition, CBT initiators have tied up with ten villages in the North of West Bengal where they provide various activities such as home stays, trekking, nature study, camping, cycling, forest drive, cultural encounters of six different communities et al for tourists visiting the Park. The main idea is to develop Community Based Tourism (CBT) and provide support to maintain peace and harmony among different communities existing there. They also provide various packages of six nights and seven days ranging between Rs 500-Rs 1,000 per person, per day. According to their brochure most villages situated inside the Park are not known and no modern development has been undertaken there as yet unlike other parts of West Bengal. The inhabitants find their livelihood from nature around them. The area is home to several animals like leopards and elephants etc.

According to certain sources, the initiative for developing the Tourism Peace Park was led by Pallab Basu of Oodlabari Tourism Development Association, officials of WBFDC and Help Tourism members. They had their first meeting regarding the same in December 2008 at a factory of Assam Bengal Veneer Industries (ABVI). The meet was attended by 61 local stake holders from the several villages.

WEST BENGAL TOURISM RELEASES BENGAL TRAVEL GUIDE

WBTDC to upgrade lodges in West Bengal

KOLKATA, 4th June: The first official travel guide on Kolkata was released yesterday by Manab Mukherjee, Tourism Minister, Kolkata. The book provides exhaustive information on most tourist destinations with their history, from Sunderbans to Bishnupur, Murshidabad, Dooars and Darjeeling. Mukherjee also informed that the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) is now in the process of upgrading tourist lodges and renovating its water vessels. Nine lodges are being upgraded to three-star standards. Work is complete at Digha, Shantiniketan and Bishnupur.

According to a report in Times of India, WBTDC has also decided to introduce integrated package tours in the next three months.“So far, we did not have a travel guide. Let us hope this turns out to be the first step towards restructuring our tourism facilities and infrastructure,” said Mukherjee. Apart from listing destinations, the travel guide also mentions the routes and transportation available. “I had to travel extensively for the book. The facilities have improved vastly and the state can definitely be marketed as a prime tourist location,” said Swati Mitra, who compiled the guide. WBTDC has also planned tourism plazas that will be developed by the government. “Despite the recession, the flow of tourists to Bengal has remained largely unaffected,” added Mukherjee. The tourism department will appoint consultants to promote West Bengal.

Tourism not affected by ‘Aila’

“Tourism in West Bengal has not really been affected by Aila,” State Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee said here on Wednesday.

He said this at an event organised to update the press on the latest initiatives of the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC). Mr. Mukherjee said there weren’t many tourists in the area since this is not the season in Sunderbans, the region worst affected by the cyclone.

Sajnekhali, the only government tourist lodge in the area, did sustain some damage but plans were on to renovate the lodge in any case, he said.

“In Darjeeling, there were many tourists, but the major link roads had been cleared of the debris within 48 hours of the landslides so tourists didn’t suffer much.”

Asked whether enough was being done to promote Sunderbans, he said the region was ecologically fragile and must be approached with precaution.

Riverbank Developers, IHG to set up hotel in Batanagar

MUMBAI:Riverbank Developers has signed on Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) to run the proposed hotel and serviced apartment facility at its Batanagar township project in West Bengal. As part of the initial 15 year deal between Riverbank and IHG, the hotel at Batanagar will be branded under the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand and will have 200 rooms and 75 apartments. Bata India plans to fast track the completion of Batanagar Township project worth Rs 1300 crore. The township project being developed on 262 acre is promoted by Riverbank Developers, a 50:50 JV between Bata India and Calcutta Metropolitan Group. While the Phase I of the project is slated to be completed in 2011, the whole township is expected to be completed by 2013.

World famous toy train resumes run in West Bengal

Siliguri (WB), Feb 22: The world famous toy train in Darjeeling hills is back on track after it was suspended for 10 days following agitation for a separate Gorkha state.The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) is on a roll to attract as many tourists as possible across the globe. The train, listed among UNESCO’’s World Heritage Sites, passes through a number of picturesque locations including ”Batasia Loop” (the valley of storm), the tea gardens of the Darjeeling Himalayas, the world’’s highest rail station ”Ghoom” and many other locations covering the forest lands of Terai.

The operation of the train has been severely curtailed in the last three years in the wake of the agitation by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM).The train chugged again since February 19 after being closed down on February 9. Despite the turmoil, the magnetic charm of the world famous toy train brings back the tourists.“It is a very famous train, and very well known train in England. People know about it,” said Mark James, a tourist from United Kingdom.Ever since the GJM agitation rocked the Darjeeling hills, the tourism industry in the region received a major setback. Last year 16 charters and eight-winter safaris had to be cancelled due to the agitation and strikes in the hills.There has also been a steady drop in the number of tourists.

The DHR reports project a drop of 28 per cent in volume with mounting losses of rupees two million.“Last year, I brought 42 people from all over the world. We were unable to run because of the Gorkha strike. One of our people comes back this year. I now know that there was another strike last week. But we better be sure we run for the next two days,” said Andrew Nil, the tour conductor from U.K. The DHR toy train was started in 1896 by the then British Lieutenant Governor Ashley Eden, offering riders an opportunity to enjoy the majestic beauty of nature along the Darjeeling hills.At the beginning, this railway was named as the Darjeeling steam Tramway Co. Later when India gained independence in 1947, the railway was named as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR).DHR was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO on December 5 at their 23rd session. (ANI)

GJM agitation hits Darjeeling tourism

KOLKATA:The ongoing agitation in the hills by the Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM) for a separate state has hit the North Bengal hospitality and tourism industry hard and is estimated to cause revenue losses of more than Rs 12 crore.

Although according to the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) hotel bookings are down by atleast 10 per cent in the last two months in Darjeeling with the average occupancy hovering around 40 per cent, Business Standard spoke to a few of the leading hotels in the region, and found that almost all the premium and three star or the heritage properties were running on 50-60 per cent losses for the last three months.

Rupam Das of Fortune Resort Central said, “Although the political situation is better now, the damage is done, with maximum business loss in the month of June-July, the peak season. The occupancy at Fortune Resort slipped to as low as 10 per cent in the month of January compared to 35-40 percent witnessed in the year ago period at the premium four star property in Darjeeling.”

Although this was a slack season, the average occupancy in December to January period hovered around 39 per cent at practically all the premium properties with sometimes no guest for more than two weeks at a stretch, said Das who is also a member of the local Hotel Owners Association.

"In terms of revenue loss, it could be to the tune of Rs 35-40 lakhs for a premium property if the present occupancy situation continues," he said. Navin Suchanti, managing director and CEO of Sinclairs Hotels Limited, which runs three properties across North Bengal said, "We have been badly affected because of the political turmoil, as its business is down because of the recessionary trends.” However, he refused to give any figures about the hotel occupancies across Sinclair's properties.

“Domestic tourist inflow, which accounts for the bulk of the business, had been badly affected. Last month occupancy was less than 50 per cent compared to 70-80 per cent in the same period last fiscal, in terms of quantitative loss in business, it will run into some lakhs, ” informed a spokesperson from Windamere hotel, a heritage property located at the heart of the Darjeeling mall.

Many small budget hotels which cater to the mid-segment were also forced to shut down because of low tourist inflow and heavy business losses. Recession had affected the foreign tourist inflow, but in Darjeeling compared to Goa and Kerala, foreign tourist arrivals contribute only 18-25 per cent of the total tourism revenue, bulk of the comes from domestic tourists, which were affected after June last year.

According to Zahid Rafique, regional manager of makemytrip.com, one of the largest domestic online travel portal, domestic bookings for Darjeeling have been low compared to last year and in the last two months physical bookings for Darjeeling had been practically nil. Bookings started dropping since July last year, but in the last few months, starting December onwards physical bookings were completely nil, in online booking segment, more than two lakh revenue is estimated to have been been hit , said Rafique.

Rafique pointed out that compared to last year December-February period when makemytrip.com managed 280 odd transactions or travel bookings from all across India this year same period the travel portal could only manage 200 transactions or bookings, causing huge loss to domestic business and revenue collection. Due to government's leave travel concession, almost 90 per cent of the place is occupied during the peak season and thereafter by domestic travellers, but this year this too failed to churn good business.

When contacted, Manabendra Mukherjee, state minister of tourism admitted that North Bengal tourism industry had been badly hit by the ongoing turmoil but he failed to provide any concrete measures to be taken by the ministry. "We have been hit by this disturbance going on in the hills. We expect a negative growth this fiscal, however coming out with any specific detail about the quantum of loss and is difficult, that will be possible only after the end of this quarter. We are trying to help the authorities of those districts to bring back normalcy,” he said.

TVN Rao, managing director of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation(WBTDC) claimed that the occupancy rate and revenue have been hit by 30 per cent in the 24 tourist lodges run by WBTDC in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, which is WBTDC's main source of revenue of WBTDC To counter the fall in occupancy rate WBTDC is spending close to Rs 6 crore towards advertisements and promotional activity also, he informed.

Rs 5 crore for Subhas Sarobar revamp

KOLKATA: The state has received money to implement a green project that was long overdue. The Union ministry of tourism has just sanctioned Rs 5 crore to revamp Subhas Sarobar, the lungs of east Kolkata. The lake, an eyesore for years, is all set to turn into a beautiful landscape in the next 20 months.

After lobbying for nearly two years with the Union ministry of urban development, the state government highlighted the rejuvenation of Subhas Sarobar as a key tourism project while seeking funds from the Union ministry of tourism (MoT). Result? MoT has now sanctioned Rs 4.91 crore to rejuvenate the lake, which has been included in the National Lake Conservation Programme, but has been crying for attention all these years.

The waterbody has been suffering, thanks to everyday bathing, washing and cleaning by slum-dwellers. Well a sea change is about to take place. And a visit to the sprawling sarovar (41.61 acres of waterbody and 49.99 acres of land) will transport you to lush green grounds dotted with a children's park, rockery, French shelters, joggers' track and other related landscaping accessories. The water will also be treated in a scientific manner. The area around the shimmering water will be lit up in the most fascinating manner to create a romantic ambience after dusk. A lot of recreational activity will take place, especially in the amphitheatre, the water sports complex and food courts. Security will be a key issue: the complex will be closely guarded and visitors monitored through electronic gates.

The sarobar is currently used haphazardly by swimming and other clubs the inner pathways originally meant for morning-walkers are now used for traffic movement between Narkeldanga Main Road and CIT Road-Beliaghata Main Road.

"We just cannot allow this prime waterbody in a crowded city area remain an eyesore forever. So, we decided to send a comprehensive project report, prepared from the original KIT plan, to the ministry. And, we developed it as per the Centre's guidelines to attract funds," said TVN Rao, director of the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation and the concept creator.

The rejuvenation plan also provides for a proper solid waste management and underground stormwater drainage systems. "Currently, there is a huge dump yard in the sarobar premises. We will remove it and implement a scientific solid waste management," said Biswanath Sen, chief engineer-in-charge of KIT, the implementing agency. But since the project has been prepared by West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation, a must-do is a tourism facilitation centre to highlight the other tourism destinations around the sarobar. These stop-overs include Science City, Milan Mela, Nalban, Nicco Park and Salt Lake stadium.

Reel glow to Purulia beauty

RAGHUNATHPUR (Purulia): Noted film director Mr Buddhadeb Dasgupta drew attention to the scenic beauty of drought-prone Purulia district in his inauguration of the third Joychandipahar Paryatan Utsab at Raghunathpur Stadium, which takes place over a period of four days, 42 km from Purulia town.

Mr Dasgupta said: “Purulia's scenic beauty has always attracted me, which is why I have set four of my films here”. He recollected that the legendary director Mr Satyajit Ray was similarly drawn to the region, and called to mind Ray's two films set in and around Joyachandipahar. The famous film actress, Mrs Supriya Debi, seconded Mr Dasgupta's passion for Purulia, remarking upon the district's exceptional beauty.

Basudeb Acharia, local MP and president of the Joychandipahar Paryatan Utsab Committee, said: “Joychandipahar is well-known by tourists for its scenic beauty and will soon be easily accessible by rail, making it a highly desirable stop on the tourist circuit. The region's tourist appeal ensures sufficient scope for the planned economic development”. A highly modern station will be built at Joychandipahar in the style of Cooch Behar's Rajbari, to be ready by the end of the coming December, just before the fourth Joychandipar tourism festival. Purulia government officials are already considering the revenue to be gained by films shot in the area. Ayodhyapahar and Panchyatpahar, on the West Bengal-Jharkhand border, are also very attractive to tourists, as long as they remain free from the Maoist influence in the area.

The 23rd Purulia district book fair ended its week-long duration in Purulia town last week. In all, 60 publishers from Kolkata, Patna and Ranchi participated.Mr Karuna Sindhu Das, former Vice-Chancellor of Rabindra Bharati, was the chief guest. He expressed his passion for the book fair and highlighted its significance for the district.

Central government neglecting tourism in West Bengal: Minister

KOLKATA: State Tourism Minister Manabendra Mukherjee Friday alleged that the central government is promoting and marketing many tourist destinations but neglecting West Bengal.”The central government is always promoting and marketing Delhi, Agra and Goa as tourist destinations. But West Bengal is always neglected whereas the state capital Kolkata can be called as the eastern gateway of India,” Mukherjee said at a conference on eastern tourism organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

Mukherjee said all special tourism benefits are introduced in other states by the central government.

“The central government introduces all special benefits in other states. For example, there is a special train running between Delhi and Bodhgaya. But not Kolkata. As far as I know, it’s people from South East Asia who majorly visit Bodhgaya. So why not a special train from Kolkata, which is nearer to Bangkok and Indonesia, than Delhi?” Mukherjee said.

“Despite no encouragement from the central government, hundreds of foreigners visit West Bengal every year. And if the centre helps, then this state can become one of the major revenue earners in tourism sector,” Mukherjee said.

West Bengal Government promoting river tourism in a big way

Kolkata, Jan.13 : Ganga Kutir lies along the banks of the Ganga in the pastoral hamlet of Raichak-on-Ganges, about an hour and halfs drive from Kolkata, West Bengal. This 12-crore property sprawling over two acres symbolizes the potential of River Tourism in the state.It’’s no wonder then, that the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation is foreseeing an investment of Rs 150 crore in the next couple of years just for promoting river tourism.

The investment would go towards renovating heritage ghats along the Ganges as well as developing a Marina with speed boats, para-sailing and cruise boats facilities.There is no doubt that river tourism targets the high-end tourists. For example, Ganga Kutir caters to an exclusive set who can drive down from Kolkata to enjoy a couple of days of total relaxation in the lap of luxury.The resort has 16 rooms priced at Rs 12000 onwards, a library, a bar, a Spa, a swimming pool which seems to merge into the river, river cruise facilities and an excellent restaurant.

According to Mr Harshvardhan Neotia, even though Kolkata was lacking is such weekend tourist spots, this segment is now really catching up.Neotias Ambuja Realty first set up the five-star hotel Fort Raichak with conference facilities on the river side at Raichak. The property continues to have over 60% occupancy through the year with 100% occupancy in the four months of Oct, Nov, Dec, January as well as during the holiday season. Neotia says that Fort Raichaks success propelled him to set up Ganga Kutir a more exclusive retreat on the river side.

In just two months from its launch in November, Ganga Kutir has been such a success that Ambuja Realty is planning to add another 12 rooms to the property. The total project area now extends to about 70 acres and the projected investment is Rs 100 crore.The superb Spa facility with Swedish, Thai, Javanese, Ayurvedic treatments and reflexology and stone therapy is common to both Fort Raichak and Ganga Kutir and is a compelling reason for the clients to take the trip. The very fact that Sri Lankan architectect Channa Daswatte was called in to design Ganga Kutir in traditional Bengal Ashram style indicates that promoters are sparing no efforts to provide world class resorts which re-define luxury.

West Bengal has the right specifications to become the river tourism destination in India with the magnificent delta Sunderbans with its mangrove forests and the pilgrimage point Sagar Islands where the Ganga Sagar Mela is held every year, points out Manabendra Mukherjee, West Bengal Minister for Tourism. The government has already announced a new tourism policy with a positive approach towards river tourism. The policy offers several incentives, grants and subsidies to investors wanting to invest in this segment.Though the budgetary support to tourism is only Rs 35 crores, the minister makes it clear that the government was actively seeking private investment in this sector.

The government is expecting about Rs 4000 crore private investment, including FDI, in tourism and infrastructure.Private promoters like Ambuja Realty, who offer private ferry rides to Sunderbans Delta and Sagar Islands from its project at Raichak say that development in river and road infrastructure would go a long way in attracting tourists.According to Mr T V N Rao, Managing Director, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation, there was great scope for investment in river tourism in the state starting from hotels along the banks of the Ganges, river entertainment, infrastructural development of the Sunderbans Delta area, which is still very undeveloped etc. There is also tremendous potential for investment in Tea Tourism in the Dooars in North Bengal which has over 350 Tea Gardens and Hill Tourism in Darjeeling.Growth in West Bengal Tourism is on the positive side despite the recent recession, according to Mukherjee.

Both inflow of tourists into the state and outflow is higher than the national average and West Bengal figures in the top five states of the country in tourism.From 1,14,064 foreign tourists in 1991, West Bengal saw an inflow of 6,38, 256 foreign tourists by June alone in 2008. The total tourist inflow into the state in the first six months of 2008 touched 12076102 from a mere 3225502 in the whole of 1991. Total tourist inflow into Kolkata alone stood at 48,59,961 in 2007.Considering that the state has rivers, hills, tea gardens and a delta only thing missing being a desert it can be safely assumed that the state will go a long way as a tourist hub with support from the private sector.

Tourism fair gives a taste of India

KOLKATA, 8 January, 2009 : The sixth Tourism and Food Festival organized by West Bengal tourism department in association with The Times of India was inaugurated on Wednesday at Nalban Ecopark. The five-day festival will present some of the best folk performers from different states for the audience.

On the first day, the performance by Manipuri danseuse Priti Patel and her troupe proved to be a perfect beginning as the audience was left mesmerized with the graceful moves. Amidst prayers and chants, the Sun God was invoked. Performers trained in martial arts then demonstrated a fierce sword fight that left the audience awe-struck. When they demonstrated the intricate art of sword fighting blindfolded, the admiration of the audience knew no bounds. The men also performed acrobatics like jumping through a ring of fire and balancing on spearheads with ease. Delegates from many states, including the tourism minister of Andhra Pradesh, were present for the programme.

State tourism minister Manab Mukherjee lit the hawan kund. "I think the festival will be an immense success. We have inaugurated the festival with a Manipuri dance since the state and its culture finds mention in Tagore's work time and again," he said. Ankita Lahiri, a college student from Sodepur, was in the audience. "This is one of the best performances I have seen," she gushed. In the coming days, one of the primary attractions will be a colourful ballet by a Chinese troupe from Kunming. Among the other performances is a group dance by Tanushree Shankar on Thursday.

The Times of India will present a gala musical evening with latest singing sensation, Anik Dhar, on Saturday. There will also be performances by the Vyas Brothers on Sunday, army and BSF bands, a fashion show and tribal dances from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Five-day tourism and food festival from Jan 7

KOLKATA, 4 Jan, 2009: The sixth Tourism and Food Festival is all set to start on January 7 at the Nalban Ecopark in Salt Lake. The West Bengal tourism department, in association with The Times of India, will present the gala five-day festival. This year, the festival has got an international flavour with the participation of Kunming Tourism of China. The states taking part in the festival include Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and Rajasthan as well as several north-eastern states, which will seek to popularize their state as attractive tourist destinations.

At Nalban, a food plaza, extending to the waterbody, will provide the ambience and matching delicacies in the form of a food festival. A stage will be set up on the lake to enthral the people with traditional dance, music and cultural programmes by eminent artistes. The primary attraction will be a colourful ballet by a Chinese troupe from Kunming. Among the other attractions are a group dance by Priti Patel and Tanushree Shankar, songs by Anwesha and the Vyas Brothers.

The Times of India will present a gala musical evening with latest singing sensation, Anik Dhar, on January 10. There will also be performances by army and BSF bands, a fashion show and cultural programme as well as tribal dances from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan to enthral the audience. The director of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation, TVN Rao, said: "Our main attempt is to bring all the tourism industry stakeholders and the public on one platform. This year, there will be 57 stalls. Visitors will be able to know the nitty-gritty of a destination and plan a trip at the fair itself."

Tourism minister Manab Mukherjee said next year, more countries will be invited to participate in the festival. Several restaurant chains, including Tamarind, Bhajahori Manna and Golbari (Shyambazar), will dish out lip-smacking cuisines at the festival. Fireworks will be an added attraction. The fair will begin from 12 noon and continue till 9 pm. Tickets are priced at Rs 5.

WB Tourism to organise a two-day Bishnupur Utsav from Dec-27

Kolkata: For the first time Tourism department of the West Bengal Government would organise a two-day Bishnupur Utsav from December 27 showcasing colourful classical dance, besides instrumental and vocal performance by exponents in respective fields.

Announcing this here yesterday, state's Tourism Minister Manab Mukherjee told reporters that a dynamic illumination of Rasmanch and other heritage monuments of Bishnupur would be inaugurated by him on the occasion, besides the newly constructed Bishnupur Tourist Lodge.

Popular as capital of the Malla Kings of Mallabhum, Vishnupur in Bankura district is known for its famous for its beautiful terracotta temples and artifacts. The minister said that these temples stand testimony to the exquisite craftmanship for the artisans of the region, where the Rasmanch, Shyam Roy Mandir and Jorbangla are selected by the state's Tourism Development Corporation for'intelligent dynamic illumination' at a cost of Rs 60 lakh.

Built in 16th century by the King Beer Hambira, the Rasmancha temple has an elongated pyramidical tower, surrounded by hut-shaped turret. It was the stage where the idols were used to be kept for public worship during'Ras Utsav'. Built by the King Raghunath Singha Dev II in the 17th century, the ornate terracotta carvings in Jorebangla temple are set off by the roof in the classic Chala style of Bengal architecture.

Built in the year 1643 by the King Raghunath Singha, the wall of the Shyam Roy Temple was richly decorated with terracotta carvings featuring aspects of Lord Krishna's life. Besides tourism department, Micro and Small Scale Enterprise would also showcase their handloom and handicraft products in different stalls during the festival.

Sunderbans, Ganges in 7 Natural Wonders list

KOLKATA,13th November, 2008: Sunderbans, world’s largest mangrove forest located between Bangladesh and West Bengal, and the Ganges River are competing with some gorgeous natural heritage sites across the globe for the seven Wonders of Nature list.

Famous for its breathtaking beauty and the Royal Bengal Tiger, Sunderbans forest has carved a niche for itself when the mangrove was selected by New Seven Wonders Foundation after the selection of seven new wonders of the world last year, which included Taj Mahal.

Lying in the mouth of the holy Ganges, the Sunderban delta is composed of mangrove forests, swamps and forest island all interwoven in a network of small rivers and streams. It covers an area of approximately 10,000 square kilometers.

Altogether 400 places from different continents have been nominated primarily in the seven wonders nomination process which include 51 places (highest number of places) from South America, 31 Europe, 30 Asia, 27 North America, 19 Africa and 10 Oceania.

Voting is continuing through internet. “It is so exciting that out of 400 places which have been nominated primarily in the seven wonders nomination process, Sundarban and Ganges are on leading positions at this moment for Asia region,” an expert on Sunderbans afair reacted.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee cast his vote here at the Writers’ Buildings recently on the website www.new7wonders.com to nominate the Sunderbans and the holy Ganges as two of the seven ‘Global Wonders of Nature’.

Tushar Kanjilal, secretary of Tagore society for Rural Development, was also present at the state secretariat along with Sunderbans Development Minister Kanti Ganguly and Irrigation Minister Subhas Naskar.

“The Chief Minister took the first step and we request people from both West Bengal and across the country to vote for the Sunderbans and the Ganges to enlist them in the seven new natural wonders’ list. These are multinational nominees and it needs both India and Bangladesh to officially support it,” Ganguly said.

Ganguly said, “We have already formed a supporting committee to champion the cause and we are trying to promote it in a manner to appeal to people in India and Bangladesh to vote for these two heritage sites. In fact three because Cox’s Bazar beach, the largest sea beach of the world, has also found place in the nominated site out of 158 natural places of the world so far.”

The global voting platform, which is conducting the poll, is promoted by the New Seven Wonders Foundation that included the Taj Mahal in its list of seven man-made wonders last year. The foundation was set up by Swiss-born Canadian film maker-explorer Bernard Weber. The platform selects the wonders on the basis of nomination committees in each country and only one nomination from each country is finalised in the last lap of the race.

The Ganges was at the seventh position, while the Sunderbans was tenth, as per current voting on the website. The voting will continue throughout 2010 and into 2011 when the results will be declared. Ganguly further said a nomination committee from Bangladesh had approached the state government to support the Sunderbans, as the forest cover vast areas of both India and Bangladesh.

“I know the process and we have yet to see many ups and downs in the position so far but if we all keep on voting for Sundarbans, Ganges and Cox’s Bazar, we should be in good standing till the end. Voting in the internet is fun and it should be more fun doing it for our heritage sites,” said student of Calcutta University Divya Malik.

“Everyone must log on to the following link and cast their valuable votes to earn the title for natural wonders. That way we will be able to boast of another Wonders of the Modern World, the first one was the Taj Mahal,” said an elated college student.

The Sundarbans features a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The area is known for its wide range of fauna, with the Royal Bengal tiger being the most famous, but also including many species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes.

It is already a UNESCO World Heritage site and was designated a Ramsar site on May 21, 1992. It was also nominated as one of the New seven Wonders of the world, along Taj though didn't make to the final 14.Some other prominent natural heritage sites in the race include Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Phillipines, Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Chocolate Hills in Phillipines, Al-Ahsa Oasis in Saudi Arabia, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National park in Vietnam and Fansipan Mountain in Vietnam.

Kolkata Trams offer a nostalgic journey to commuters

Kolkata (IANS),13 November, 2008: The charm and nostalgia of the old Kolkata streets, the coffee house sessions and landmarks like the Victoria Memorial, would now come alive through line drawings on the body of the trams - the “heritage wheels” of the metropolis.

Master illustrator Samir Biswas has given an all-new look to the colonial transport mode through the dexterity of his line drawings skills that capture the changing facade of Kolkata since the time when it was the British India capital.

Telecom service provider Aircel launched the innovative programme celebrating the rich heritage of the city. The cultural initiative would initially be introduced in 27 trams across the city.

"The drawings will give a complete feel so that people could easily visualise both old and the new features of Kolkata. All the paintings, mostly based on line drawings and watercolours, will showcase the lifestyle of people belonging to different social strata," Biswas told IANS on the sidelines of the programme here Wednesday.

He said the drawings would cover diverse subjects from the Raj era, high-rise buildings, major landmarks like Howrah Bridge, College Street, Park Street and the Hogg Market. "The portraits will describe a tale of the metropolis which has undergone a change in the time of globalisation. The sky-scrapers, glitzy malls and IT township - which are entering into the history of the metropolis and its colonial soul - will also get a place in my artistic depiction," he said.

Biswas, who once worked as a graphic artist with a Kolkata-based leading newspaper group, is a Government Art College graduate. His line drawings skills on Kolkata buildings and life in the metropolis graced many a newspaper and magazine for three decades between the 1970s and 1990s.

"It's a great feeling for me that people now would get to see my creativity," he said. Ever since the first horse-drawn tram of the city rolled out on meter gauge tracks way back on Feb 24, 1873, this medium of transport has virtually become a logo of Kolkata, and has withstood criticism of its utility in the present era of fast-moving vehicles.

The Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) was formed in 1880 and registered in London on Dec 22 that year. The electrification of the tram routes was done in the early 20th century. The CTC was taken over by the West Bengal government in the 1970s.

Yunnan Tourism signs MoU on tourism exchange with West Bengal

To offer Lifestyle, Leisure, Sports, Experiential and MICE as tourism products

Kolkata, November 13, 2008: In a bid to strengthen the industrial and tourism cooperation with India, Yunnan Provincial Tourism Administration (Yunnan Tourism) is focusing on tourism exchange with West Bengal. Yunnan Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with West Bengal Tourism Directorate, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) and the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) Eastern Chapter on the 10th of this month in order to build a mutual bond on tourism practices, exchange and understanding.

Having approached the West Bengal Tourism Directorate, WBTDC and the TAAI Eastern Chapter, Yunnan Tourism plans to cash in on tourism opportunities in Kolkata and East India considering the short distance, newly launched air link and the similarities in culture and ethnicity. As part of the MoU, West Bengal Tourism Directorate and WBTDC have also planned to make the state more available for Chinese tourists.

Manabendra Mukherjee, Tourism Minister of West Bengal said, “Apart from developing destinations and other tourism products, we will be developing the China Town area of Kolkata and include it under the Destination Development Scheme.” Talking about plans to focus mainly on Eastern India, Yu Dingcheng, Director General, Yunnan Provincial Tourism Administration, told TravelBiz Monitor, “Yunnan and West Bengal have many similarities in tastes and traditions and both enjoy large ethnic diversities. Also, Kolkata is at a distance of about two hour’s flight from Kunming, a region we are projecting as Yunnan’s USP. Apart from the newly-launched air link, Kolkata has a large harbour in coastal Eastern India. All these features have prompted us to start our promotional activities in India from Kolkata.”

China Eastern Airways, which re-started its operation from Kolkata last month, currently operates with four flights a week to Kunming. According to a China Eastern Airways official, depending on the growth in traffic, the airline may increase the flights to seven per week. Speaking about the tourism products offered by Yunnan Tourism, Dingcheng said, “Yunnan has the largest ethnic diversities in China and that will be one of our highest selling points. With large golf courses and natural hot springs, we will focus on tourism products like Lifestyle Tourism, Leisure Tourism, Sports Tourism and Experiential Tourism.”

Targeting these products at leisure tourists, Yunnan Tourism also sees potential of MICE segment when it comes to tourism exchange with India, especially Eastern India. “Eastern India still lacks exposure to good international destinations as MICE destinations. We are on a constant lookout to find more international MICE destinations which are lesser known but strong in terms of infrastructure when it comes to supporting MICE travellers. Yunnan has great potentials to host MICE segments,” said Devendra Parikh, Chairman, TAAI Eastern Chapter.Commenting on the stiff competition from Thailand Tourism, Dingcheng said, “Although Thailand is an old player when it comes to tourism exchange with India, we have come up tourism products that are different from those offered by Thailand.

Besides, we have geographical proximity with India and have better climate to offer. While most of the popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia cannot provide year-long tourism services due to extreme climate conditions, Yunnan has pleasant weather condition throughout the year and can play host at any time of the year.”