Rs.454-crore ADB loan for Himachal tourism development
SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh has got a multi-million dollar loan from
the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for developing tourism infrastructure
and services, an official statement said here Sunday.
"The ADB has agreed in principle to fund various tourism
development projects amounting to Rs.454 crore in different parts of the
state," said the statement, quoting Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.
A
government spokesperson said the loan to Himachal Pradesh is part of
the lender's sanctioned loan of $250 million (about Rs.1,150 crore) to
three other states - Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
The loan has a 25-year repayment period.
The loan to Himanchal Pradesh would be utilised for improving infrastructure around natural and cultural heritage sites.
Shimla, fondly called by the British as the "Queen of Hills", has 91 British-era heritage buildings.
These
include Ellerslie housing the state secretariat, Vidhan Sabha,
Peterhoff which was completely renovated after being devastated in a
fire nearly two decades ago and now serves as the state guest house,
United Services Club, Town Hall, Barnes Court housing Raj Bhavan,
Viceregal Lodge housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies and
Gordon Castle.
Himachal Pradesh attracted
11,437,155 tourists, including 400,583 foreigners, last year. Kullu and
Manali are the hotspots for tourists, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.
|
