Sharma seeks reports on pending Tourism Ministry projects

Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma today asked his officials to come up with reports on the pending projects within a week with a view to put them on fast track.
The minister gave this direction during a meeting he held with his official here.
During the meeting, Sharma also discussed the security in and around the tourist sites, as well as the Taj entry and Red Fort ticketing issues, a source said.
"To hasten the process for implementation of pending projects, Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has directed his officials to prepare the reports with a week," the source added.

The minister was keen to implement the pending projects -- which are primarily related to security, cleanliness and hospitality -- by March 31 this year, according to the source.
The minister also discussed the security issues in and around Qutab Minar, which he found unsatisfactory during his surprise visit to the monument on Saturday in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack.

During the meeting, the minister also discussed about revamping of five museums in Red Fort, besides improving various facilities like drinking water and audio guide in the monument.
Sharma also took up the recent incident in which over 2,000 tourists were turned away from Taj Mahal due to capacity constraints despite having bought tickets.

Tickets for entry to Taj Mahal are sold both over the counter as well as online.
The recent issue of 4,000 people not being able to buy tickets for Red Fort because of the huge rush on New Year's eve was also taken up during the meeting, the source said.