Ring road for monuments
Calling for an Expressway to connect UP’S monuments, Sunil C Gupta, Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Chapter, IATO, offers some solutions to bring more tourists to the state.
Gupta
says he feels blessed as Taj Mahal, the icon of Indian tourism, is situated in Uttar Pradesh, along with other leading tourist attractions like the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
Highlighting the other tourist attractions in UP, Gupta says, “We have the holy city of Varanasi. Jhansi is the gateway to Bundelkhand; Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Rama; Mathura is the birthplace of Lord Krishna; Allahabad is known for its Sangam and Kumbh 2013 shall be held in this city. Also there are Buddhist shrines at Sarnath, Kushinagar, Sravasti and Sanksya, which draws huge tourists for Buddhist tours.
However, the poor infrastructure impede the state of UP from attaining its true tourism potential.
“It is pathetic that Agra, which houses the Taj Mahal, has no air connectivity.
The Indian domestic pilgrimage has huge potential but there is no or poor air connectivity.
In Agra, thousands of cars come daily via the new Expressway, but find it frustrating to reach the Taj Mahal after they leave the Expressway,” said Gupta. According to Gupta, these challenges can be addressed by keeping tourism on top priority in the government planning as well in the allocation of budgets. This should be followed up by more investments in infrastructure, local tourism committees working closely with ASI, DOT, civil administration and tourism industry. More airports and flights should be introduced.
“There is an urgent need to plan a ‘Ring Road’ in Agra, to seamlessly bring tourists to Taj Mahal and also connect other major monuments. The Delhi to Mathura helicopter service should start soon and similar initiatives may be taken to connect Ayodhya and Allahabad. The upkeep of Mathura and Varanasi ghats and cleaning of Ganges and Yamuna should be accorded priority,” added Gupta.