Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took an apex committee meeting to discuss various tourism projects in the state. Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation’s plan to develop Gosekhurd for water sports, including scuba diving, was also tabled during the meeting. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis further proposed integrating the Ambhora temple development project with the water tourism project.
During the meeting, Shinde emphasized the tourism potential of the state and directed officials to improve infrastructure such as roads, transportation, and accommodation to tap into this potential. The state’s tourism centres in each division will be upgraded to utilize the opportunities fully. During the apex committee meeting, various projects were discussed to boost tourism, including water tourism at Gosekhurd in Bhandara, the beautification of Sonegaon Lake in Nagpur, the Chanakya Centre for Excellence at Karla near Lonavala, and the development of the Gajba Devi temple at Mithbaw in Sindhudurg district.
Plans were also presented for a MICE centre and the Chanakya Centre for Excellence at Karla, which will attract tourists due to its proximity to Mumbai. Additionally, the establishment of a scuba diving centre at Koyna Bamnoli in Satara district and the beautification of Sonegaon Lake in Nagpur were discussed. Chief Minister Shinde highlighted the importance of these additional projects for overall tourism development in the state.
“This project should have been approved much earlier”, says Vilas Bhongade, a noted activist working for the rehabilitation of people displaced by the construction of the Gosekhurd reservoir. “But the government should also develop a port for fisheries and provides cold storage facilities for the local fishermen community here.”