The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Miles to go for Yelagiri Hills as a tourist spot

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Sunday, May 25, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Miles to go for Yelagiri Hills as a tourist spot

Staff Reporter

Durai Murugan promises to fulfil demands seeking more development

Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan

new attraction: The newly inaugurated musical fountain at Yelagiri Hills near Tirupattur. —

YELAGIRI HILLS: Though the district administration has made a lot of efforts to develop Yelagiri Hills, the present amenities are still not enough to attract maximum number of tourists, Public Works Department and Law Minister Durai Murugan said here on Saturday.

Inaugurating the two-day summer festival at Yelagiri Hills near Tirupattur, he said the State and Central government funds that were allotted for the development of the tourist destination had been judiciously spent. Vellore Collector Dharmendra Pratap had stuck to his commitment to make Yelagiri Hills an affordable tourist destination, Mr. Murugan said.

Good hotels attracted tourists to the maximum extent, he said. Besides, the park, artificial waterfalls, botanical garden, lake, boathouse and musical fountain at the hills would also attract more tourists. Lot of demands had been put forth for developing the Yelagiri Hills in a major way. People from the middle and low-income groups would prefer visiting places like the Yelagiri Hills. By next year, there would be more attractive sites at the hills, Mr. Durai Murugan said. He would also personally chalk out plans for cultural festivals to attract tourists. He also stressed the importance of more facilities and good packages to attract domestic and international tourists.

Union Minister of State for Railways R.Velu said that there had been a demand to introduce toy trains at the Yelagiri Hills and the Vellore Fort. It would be taken up with Union Minister of Tourism Ambika Soni when she visits Vellore in June.

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation could request the Railways to introduce luxury tourist trains connecting Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Mr. Velu said that the Central government, under the destination development plan, had allotted Rs.3.5 core for the development of Yelagiri Hills. Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Sanwath Ram said domestic and international tourist flow was on rise in Tamil Nadu.

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