Bhubaneswar, September 20: Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg reviewed the progress of tourism infrastructure and ongoing projects at the second meeting of the State Tourism Promotion Council (STPC) held at Lok Seba Bhawan.
The meeting reviewed decisions taken at the council’s first meeting, including government land allocation for tourism projects, the Tourism Land Bank Scheme, development of tourist destinations and establishment of Odia food restaurants.
The council discussed GIS-based land mapping and digital monitoring under the Tourism Land Bank Scheme to streamline land identification, assessment and allotment for tourism-related projects.
It also reviewed delays in approved projects, requests for timeline extensions and a proposed one-time settlement scheme for tourism units approved under the previous tourism policy but unable to avail incentive benefits.
A key focus was on setting up Odia food restaurants in new cities and tourist destinations to promote Odisha’s traditional cuisine and culinary heritage through tourism.
Chief Secretary Garg stressed the need to reduce procedural delays, resolve land and permission-related bottlenecks and create a simpler, time-bound process to facilitate tourism investment.
Hemant Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, N.B.S. Rajput, Principal Secretary, Commerce and Transport Department, Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar,Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Department , Balwant Singh, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Tourism Department, and senior officials attended the meeting.
