Strictly adhere to tourism guidelines: Pema

ITANAGAR, Jun 18: Tourism Minister Pema Khandu has called for strict adherence of the Centre guidelines in respect to tourism related schemes.

While presiding over the two-day annual review meeting at the Tourism conference hall here today, the Minister directed the departmental officers particularly the district tourism officers to see that all new schemes are routed from the District Level Tourism Development Committee (DLTDC) headed by the DC.

“No scheme should be entertained directly by the department which does not follow the laid down guidelines,” Pema stressed. This bold step by the department has been initiated in order to decentralize the selection of important schemes for promotion of tourism in revenue generation.

“Prospective schemes and required infrastructures in the designated tourist circuits cannot be prepared sitting in an air conditioned room without proper field survey”, Pema asserted while underscoring the need to route the schemes through DLTDC which has better knowledge about the respective district.

This is indeed in accordance to the laid down guidelines from the Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India.

The schemes forwarded by the DLTDC shall be thoroughly scrutinized by the State Level Monitoring Committee headed by the Secretary Tourism before submitting them to the Central govt, revealed Pema.

The much talked about State Tourism Policy is on the cards as a draft tourism policy has been prepared and discussed thoroughly in the meeting.

A similar meeting is awaited soon with all tourism stakeholders before placing it in the cabinet for final approval of the govt.

Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, who has been enthusiastically promoting tourism on every given occasion and the young and ardent Pema

Khandu steering the department, tourism is ‘set’ to become a viable industry in the state.

With his ‘vision’ to make Arunachal a prime and ultimate tourist destination, the efforts of the CM, the minister, Parliamentary Secretary and the entire team of Tourism department is sure to bear fruits in coming days.

The review meeting which had detail discussion on development of tourism was also attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Pasang Dorjee Sona, Secretary Sonam Chombay, Director AK Singh and district officers.