Tourism boost, resorts at Ranjit Sagar lake soon

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

The Congress government is all set to launch a tourism project in the islands of the Ranjit Sagar dam lake in Pathankot. With the Dhauladhars forming the backdrop, the 74-acre area will soon be put out for bidding to prospective investors.

While one island — Mushurba — will be retained as a natural habitat, Kulara (18.54 acres) and Niloh Tikka Palangi (56.22 acres) will be offered to hospitality giants for investing in building ecofriendly hotels/ resorts. The project is to be built in public-private partnership.

This is the biggest tourism project to be offered by Punjab. Vini Mahajan, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries and Investment Promotion, said investors, including the Mahindra group-owned Club Mahindra, had shown interest in developing the project, during the recently held Investors Summit.

“We have showcased the project and offered it to investors in Singapore. The project will be allotted through competitive bidding by the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board,” she said.

Originally a brainchild of the previous Akali-BJP government, top hospitality honchos were brought to the project site on the Pathankot-Dalhousie road. The project was delayed as environmental clearances had to be obtained.

The previous government had also set up a Shivalik Dhauladhar Tourism Board to develop the project, which was scrapped by the Punjab Cabinet in July 2017, and the project of developing the area was transferred to the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB).

In its new avatar now, the project will be developed over 74.76 acres, as against 300 acres envisioned in 2014. It was getting difficult to find investors, who could develop the entire area, so the project area was scaled down.

Officials, however, say they are open to developing other projects in the 300 acres of lush greens there.

PDIB officials told The Tribune that the environmental clearance for the project had already been obtained. The Wildlife Mitigation Plan for the area too has been prepared by the Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab, for submission to the regional empowered committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. “We are in the process of getting clearance from the Forest Department. The regional empowered committee is expected to hear the case in January, where the mitigation plan too will be submitted. Once cleared, we will invite bids for this project,” said a senior official in the PIDB.

Delayed over eco-clearances

The project was the brainchild of the previous Akali-BJP government. Top hospitality honchos were brought to the site on the Pathankot-Dalhousie road. The project was delayed as environmental clearances had to be obtained.