The state government has decided to develop the Junagadh international tourism circuit on the lines of the Saurashtra and Gandhian circuits,at a cost of Rs 600 crore. This was stated by state Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala during his budget 2009-10 speech in the state Assembly on Tuesday. Vala told the House that the Tourism Department has been preparing an action plan in cooperation with other departments for the overall development of Junagadh city as well as the district,the last abode of the Asiatic lion. The minister said the Tourism Department is developing the Narsinh Mehta Lake,Uperkot Entrance,Adi-Kadi Vav,Circle Chowk,Sardar Patel Darwaza,Diwan Chowk and Majewadi Darwaja,apart from modernising the Junagadh library and developing Buddhist pilgrimage sites. As part of the Junagadh Circuit,the state government is also developing Junagadh-Somnath-Porbandar-Dwarka highway as a tourism highway. Vala added that renovation of district buildings,expansion of the Junagadh Agriculture University,development of ports at Chhara/Simar and strengthening of urban infrastructure like water supply had also been taken in hand as part of the scheme.
