M A I N   N E W S

Sukhbir plans to make Ranjit Sagar a tourist hub
Ruchika M Khanna & Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Pathankot/Chandigarh, November 8
In days of tough financial situation in Punjab, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is clearly a man who means business. So, he chose a lazy Saturday to take top hotel owners to the Ranjit Sagar dam, more precisely the isles of Kalara and Musharba.

Situated in the foothills of the Shivalik with distant hills serving as a perfect backdrop, Badal Junior talked about government’s plans to make the area as a top-most tourist hub.

The government plans to set up a chain of resorts in these serene surroundings and is now hard-selling it to some of the top guns in the hospitality industry.

As the big guns in the hospitality sector converged — in a specially chartered flight — at Pathankot today, the Deputy Chief Minister played the perfect Punjabi host.

The state government’s own helicopter and another hired helicopter was requisitioned to fly the top honchos from Taj group, Oberoi group, ITC, Lalit and Starwood amongst others.

The idyllic spot is located at the border of the three states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Kalara, which is a naturally formed island in the 14 sq km lake, is spread over 17 acres while Musharba has an area of 2.35 acres. The top guys of these premium hotel chains — Kapil Chopra, president of Oberoi Hotels and Resorts; Arun Pathak, executive vice-president of ITC Hotels; Mohit Gujral,vice-chairman of the DLF group; DK Berry, senior vice-president of the Taj Group of Hotels; Dilip Puri, managing director of Starwood Hotels and Resorts; Ashish Gawari of The Lalit Hotels; Cyrus Madan, vice-president of The Lemon Tree Hotels; and Mukul Anand, executive director of the ITC group of Hotels -- were shown around the two islands and were also taken on a cruise in luxury boats, in the 85 sq km lake of the Ranjit Sagar dam.

Discussions were held on how to utilise the tourism potential of the place. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal invited all dignitaries present there to become part of the Punjab Tourism Development Board and suggest ways to exploit the tourism potential of the place.

During the interaction, Mohit Gujral from DLF sought clarifications regarding getting environmental and pollution clearances for setting up a project here. Sukhbir assured them that the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion would assist them in getting instant delivery of clearances pertaining to all departments.

Later talking to The Tribune, Sukhbir said that the state government plans to not just set up multiple luxury resorts around the lake, but will also be introducing water sports here.

"We plan to introduce various water sports. Water planes will be hired and pressed into service to ferry people coming to these resorts directly from Pathankot airport. A convention centre and entertainment zones will also be created here. The idea is to make a tourism city here on the lines of Genting in Malaysia or Macau in Hong Kong,” he said.

The government had been on its toes to make this a success and Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal and Principal Secretary (PWD) PS Aujla had arrived here yesterday to make all arrangements for the programme. A posse of Gurdaspur police took care of the security arrangements at the airport.

About the islands

• The twin islands of Kalara and Musharba are situated in the pristine Shivalik foothills with snow-capped mountains forming their backdrop
• Kalara, which is a naturally formed island in the 14 sq km lake, is spread in an area of 17 acres while Musharba has an area of 2.35 acres