The State government will take several steps for the comprehensive development of tourism in the district, district in-charge minister Eshwar Khandre, said here on Monday.
According to him, the State Tourism Department has sent proposals to the centre seeking Rs. 111 crore to set up a Royal Deccan Tourism circuit in North Karnataka under Swadesh Darshan and Rs. 500 crore for development of heritage sites in Bidar district under HRUDAY scheme. “We are confident that the proposals will be accepted,” he said. He was speaking at the Independence Day celebrations at the district stadium.
The State government has sanctioned Rs. 10 crore for making Bidar a model tourist destination. This project will include not only giving more information to tourists and promoting our destinations, but also treating our visitors well when they are here. It will include training of guides, creating amenities for tourists, including drinking water and toilets, creating easy access to tourist spots and promoting infrastructure like quality hotels and ensuring cleanliness in the district.
The State government will release money for the development and upkeep of temples and other religious places like the Paapnash lake and temple, Narasimha Jharni cave temple, Veerabhadreshwar temple in Changlera, Amareshwar temple, the Mailar Mallanna temple complex and others.
Bidar city municipal council has identified 470 parks on 400 acres for development and beautification.
CIPET centre
The government also plans to set up a Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) in Bidar, with central assistance, Mr. Khandre said.
The Union government plans to open CIPET branches in various states. We have requested it to set up the centre in Bidar. We have got a positive response from the centre, he said. The Centre is also considering a request to set up a fertilizer production unit in Bidar, the minister said.
For the first time, the State government is submitting a district irrigation plan of Rs. 3,766 crore. It will include projects to effectively utilise the 24 tmcft of Godavari river waters allotted to Karnataka in the Bachawat award.
It includes strengthening the major irrigation projects, building new minor irrigation projects and constructing a series of barrages and check dams.
As much as 11 lakh hectares of land is available for farming in the district. We want to increase the irrigation potential to 7.5 lakh hectares, by major, minor and drip irrigation methods, he said.
Education
The State government has sanctioned 10 residential schools for Bidar district. Construction of buildings for the 12 residential schools sanctioned earlier is in progress. As many as 425 additional teachers have been redeployed to fill vacancies. Supplementary teaching in English has been started for students of 76 Urdu schools.
The new building of the Bidar Institute of Medical Science Teaching Hospital will be inaugurated in three months. Smart classes will be started in government schools. Additional classes will be held to teach English, Mathematics and Science to rural students.
Rural development
Forest department, district administration and NGOs like Reliance foundation and L&T corporate social responsibility wing have planted a total of 34 lakh saplings this monsoon.
The district administration, in association NGOs, has cleaned 133 wells and 110 tanks in summer. A total of 50 lakh cubic metres of soil has been distributed among farmers.
Jan Aushadi kendras that distribute low cost medicines are being set up in all taluks. Outlets of HOPCOMS and KMF are being set up in all towns.
A new cricket stadium is being built in Bidar. A modern slaughter house will be constructed. NCDEX trading platforms are being used to sell sugar seized from factories.
The government engineering college and IT incubation centre, announced in this year’s budget, will start functioning soon. The Mahamud Gawan centre and district central library will be set up, the minister said.
He hoisted the national flag and received the guard of honour from police units.
MP Bhagwant Khuba, MLAs, MLCs, Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari, SP Prakash Nikam, and others were present.
