Shillong, Oct. 18: Tourism emerged as the passport to a better economy for the Northeast during a seminar on Infrastructure Development that ended here today.
Organised jointly by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) and the Meghalaya government, the seminar was attended by former chief minister D.D. Lapang and several senior bureaucrats.
Meghalaya minister for tourism R.G. Lyngdoh inaugurated the conclave yesterday.
The bureaucrats alleged that though every government had announced various packages, they have done little for the economy of the region.
Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had announced a package of Rs 6,100 crore for the Northeast when he visited the region in October 1996. His successor, I.K. Gujral, announced a package of 12 national highways for the region, including three national highways in Meghalaya.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also contributed to the long list of promises by announcing that Rs 500 crore would be provided every year for development of rural infrastructure.
The speakers at the seminar, however, unanimously hailed tourism as a springboard for sustainable development of infrastructure, employment generation and economic prosperity of the region.
Bed-and-breakfast, a scheme under the tourism policy of the Union government, is best suited for states like Meghalaya, said India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) chairman Parwez Dewan.
The Meghalaya government, in its tourism policy framed in 2001, identified providing paying guest accommodation to tourists as a lucrative option for residents.
“The uniqueness of the scheme is that it does not require much investment,” Dewan said.
He also suggested that taxi drivers of this region be given due training as tourists usually depend upon them for local information.
S.K. Misra, chairman of Intach and former principal secretary to the Prime Minister, said high-value tourism was suitable for states like Meghalaya where sensitive ecological systems like ancient caves are located.
Mass tourism would slowly destroy the rich culture of the region, he added.
