The government will draft a new plan to boost tourism in Tamil Nadu during the next five years, including financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank to the tune of Rs. 403 crore, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly.
The plan would include conservation of monuments, protection of sites with historical importance, documentation, training of persons involved in tourism, their skill development and boosting infrastructure, Ms. Jayalalithaa said in her suo motu statement.
Under the plan, tourist sites along the shores would be improved at a cost of Rs. 95 crore. Besides Rs. 22.35 crore would be allotted for developing tourism infrastructure in Kancheepuram and Velankanni. A Regional Art and Cultural Centre would be set up at Coimbatore.
While classrooms in Government College of Fine Arts in Chennai would be renovated at a cost of Rs. 1.4 crore, the museum in Chennai would be renovated and new facilities set up at Rs. 10 crore, Ms. Jayalalithaa added.
The Archaeology Department would undertake an excavation at Alagankulam in Ramanathapuram district at a cost of Rs. 55 lakh.
She also said a total of 24 artefacts have been discovered at the site since 1984. “This village has been a major port in Tamil Nadu for Roman traders between 2nd Century BC and 2nd Century AD. There are evidences in the Sangam literature to suggest commerce in this village,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said.
