Tourism Minister M. Srinivasa Rao said that Union Tourism Minister G. Kishan Reddy has been invited to lay foundation stone for initiating development works at Simhachalam and Annavaram temples as part of the PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) scheme. Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that COVID-19 has delayed the start of works at Simhachalam and they would pick up pace soon. He was speaking to the media at Simhachalam here on Saturday.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that he had attended the South India Tourism Ministers Conference held in Bengaluru where he briefed about the status of various tourism projects in Andhra Pradesh to Mr. Kishan Reddy. He said that he also spoke about the pending projects in the State and urged the Union Minister to speed them up.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that the State government’s tourism policy is being appreciated by all. “The government has been giving top priority to tourism sector and we are aimed at attracting tourists and investments. To facilitate them, seven star hotels are being constructed at various places,” he added.
Responding to a query, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that APTDC hotels are not just renovated in Rushikonda, but also at other places in the State.
The State government has given its nod to renovate existing APTDC resorts across the State with a budget of ₹198 crore. Funds of the State government and the Centre as well as Public Private Partnership (PPP) will be utilised. Initially, works are going on with a budget of ₹78 crore, he said.
