With many of its infrastructure projects being stuck because of lack of action on the part of other ministries, the Tourism Ministry has requested the Prime Minister to ensure that such projects are implemented on a priority basis by all the departments concerned, especially when they relate to a world heritage site. Tourism Minister Ambika Soni on Thursday said her ministry had sent a presentation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh describing the areas where better coordination was required among various ministries for promotion of tourism and improvement of related infrastructure in the country. Speaking at a Consultative Committee meeting in Agra, Soni said creation of infrastructure for promotion of tourism and conservation of heritage needed to be taken up in the larger national perspective keeping in mind the importance of the place and the tourist traffic that it generated.Several of the proposals for upgrading infrastructure at important tourist and cultural centres are pending with ministries like Railways, Civil Aviation, Urban Development and Finance. Detailed plans to upgrade the railway stations at Gaya, Agra and Hampi have been sent to the Railway Ministry but they are yet to be implemented. Likewise, a list of important roads that lead to World Heritage sites, Buddhist circuit or other important destinations was sent to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways sometime back, a decision on which is pending. Soni urged all the various departments as also the state governments to put such schemes on the fast-track in the larger national interest, a Government statement said.
