Varanasi, May 30: Union Tourism Secretary V Vidyavati has emphasized on developing Varanasi from the tourism point of view. She said that Kashi is not just a city but a global cultural center which encompasses ancient history, religious significance and artistic traditions.
The Union Tourism Secretary was holding a meeting with officers here on Friday. In the meeting, she said that in view of improvement, changes should be seen in Kashi in the next two months so that international and domestic tourists can have a different experience.
She said to start it from the basic level. So that proper changes can be seen in the next two months. Initially 16 to 20 major places have been selected. Which includes major temples, connectivity points, ghats, Sarnath etc. She said that whatever change happens will be long-term along with being sustainable.
Infrastructure development was discussed in the meeting which included beautification and cleanliness of ghats, better roads, electricity and water supply system, transport facilities for easy access to tourist places (ring road, airport connectivity, boat services).
In the meeting, the Principal Secretary of Tourism of the state Mukesh Kumar Meshram directed the officers to promote Yoga Center, Wellness Center, Naturopathy treatment, Ayurveda treatment in Kashi prominently. In which he also assured financial help from the government. He also stressed on connecting the tourists coming to Kashi to the surrounding districts. In this, efforts were asked to connect them with the eco-tourist places of Chandauli, tourist places of Vindhya region, Maa Vindhyavasini temple, Chunar Fort which is the oldest fort in India, ancient fossil parks of Sonbhadra district.
Earlier, Commissioner Varanasi division S Rajalingam welcomed the Union Tourism Secretary and District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar welcomed the Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture in Uttar Pradesh Government Mukesh Kumar Meshram by giving bouquets. Divisional Commissioner discussed all possible efforts for development of the temple town in view of global tourism.
The District Magistrate asked to record the mythology of Ganga Ghats in digital content audio file. So that tourists can get complete information while boarding the boats. He talked about standardizing food outlets so that hygiene can be maintained. He also talked about creating cultural evenings. During this, discussions were held to support local businesses, promote handicrafts, Banarasi sarees, wooden toys, train local artists, craftsmen and guides and improve facilities. Apart from this, emphasis was also laid on promoting spiritual tourism.
Municipal Commissioner Akshat Verma, Chief Development Officer Himanshu Nagpal, Director of Varanasi Cantt Railway Station Arpit Gupta, DFO Varanasi Swati Singh, CEO Kashi Vishwanath Temple Vishwabhushan Mishra, Secretary Development Authority Ved Prakash Mishra, Public Works, Smart City, Culture, Archaeology Department and central and state level officials associated with the Tourism Department were present in the meeting.