Karnataka charts out Rs 100 cr tourism plan for Mysore region

Moots tourism plaza for Rs 50 cr; Cauvery Tourism Authority planned for Rs 50 cr

The Karnataka government has charted out a Rs 100 crore programme for tourism infrastructure development for Mysore and surrounding regions.

It has mooted the creation of a Cauvery Tourism Authority for which it has earmarked Rs 50 crore in the state budget, and has also envisaged the construction of a tourism plaza in Mysore for which a Rs 50 crore proposal has been sent to the Centre.

Among the proposals is the launch of a sound and light programme at the historic town of Srirangapatna to promote tourism in this region.

The Cauvery Tourism Authority will cover Mysore, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts.

A comprehensive project report will be sent to the Centre which has given an approval in-principle for the plaza. The sound and light programme at Srirangapatna, in Mandya district, will be commissioned by this Dasara.

Giving these details after reviewing the preparations for the 2014 Dasara celebrations in Mysore yesterday, Tourism Minister R V Deshpande referred to the announcement of the SpiceJet to withdraw its Mysore flights from September 5 and said that the additional chief secretary to the government would hold discussions with SpiceJet on September 8 on continuing its operations.

“During discussions, they said that operation of flights to Mysore was not profitable. But he had told them that if they linked Mysore with Bellary for tourists coming from Goa by changing the present flight timings, it would become profitable for them,” he said.

The Golden Chariot, which had been placed among the top five globally, will be scheduled to touch Mysore on September 24 so that it can bring tourists to Mysore for the Dasara.

Stating that the Tourism Department had taken all steps to give wide publicity to make Dasara a national and international festival, the minister said boards were being put up at all major cities, airports and border areas to draw visitors.

There was many opportunities to attract tourists round the year and to this end, cultural programmes would be organised during the weekends in Mysore in co-operation with the Department of Culture, commencing from October 11 and October 12.

A meeting had also been conducted to make the Dasara Exhibition diversified and organisations from other states had been invited to participate, he added.