Telangana to follow France, England models to boost tourism STATE TO DEVELOP FORTS, HAVELIS AS TOURIST HUBS

The Telangana tourism department has zeroed in on 60 ancient ghadis (palatial houses) of zamindars and forts scattered across the state to acquire and develop into tourist spots, like ancient castles that are restored in countries like France and England.

The department is currently in talks with the ASI to take forward the plan. An inventory of forest wells, tanks, havelis and ghadis will be drawn up. “There are nearly 60 age-old ghadis and majestic forts in the state that are lying vacant. We plan to acquire them and turn them into tourist spots by providing cafeterias, bars, lawns and interesting bits of history related to each. Each such spot has a story, and it is important to bring out such stories to show the beauty behind each such place. Just like without the love story behind Taj Mahal, it would have just been a structure; similarly we have a large number of structures with hidden stories and we plan to bring out these stories by engaging local historians and literature experts to highlight the significance of these places,” said Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation chairman P. Ramulu.

Also, the possibility of restoring filled up “bowlis” or wells will be explored by the department. “Like the ancient well inside the Eflu, there are many interesting wells that need to be explored. We will also explore the history behind names like Gachibowli, Rethibowli etc. and see if there were significant ancient wells there, which have been filled up over the decades. If so, they will be restored,” he added.