During a session at the Parliament, the Union Minister (I/c) of Culture & Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel, informed about developing 19 tourist destinations of the country as Iconic Tourist Destinations. for which the Sstakeholder consultations are in process for the same.
Patel stated that the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) recommended an amount of INR 5,109 cr for the period of financial year 2020-21 to 2025-26 for the development of 19 Iconic Tourist Destinations in a meeting held on October 15, last year.
In response to a question asked by Thomas Chazhikkadan, MP, Kottayam, Kerala, about the current status of the Kumarakom Iconic Destination development project.
‘No process has been initiated to prepare a detailed project report for Kumarakom as Iconic Tourist Destination, but a draft master plan has been prepared by the Ministry of Tourism for the development of Kumarakom through the consortium of M/s INI Design Studio – Jones Lang Laselle Property Consultants India Pvt. Ltd and the same is under consultation with stakeholders’ he stated.
In a related question, Chazhikkadan had alleged inaction by the Ministry of Tourism on the proposed Iconic Tourist Destination project. He asked demanded for INR 1000 cr in financial assistance for developing Kumarakom as a world-class destination.