Three lighthouses in Orissa to be converted into tourist spots

At least three selected lighthouses in the state will be converted into tourist spots with state-of-the-art facilities very soon. The selected lighthouses are Gopalpur, Chandrabahaga and False Point in the first phase. The Department of Lighthouse and Lightship (DLL) under the Union Ministry of Shipping has decided to convert at least 14 out of 182 lighthouses across the country into tourist spots in the first phase of the “development of lighthouses for tourism” project.

Three of these lighthouses from Orissa have been included in the project, said the deputy director general (DDG), directorate of lighthouse and lightships (Mumbai), J.S.Chauhan.

The project, which was launched recently, is expected to be completed in the next four years. Besides utilising the tourism potential of the places where the lighthouses are located, the ministry also proposed to provide hospitality facilities to the tourists in public private partnership (PPP) mode. The detail modalities in this regard are being worked out by the ministry, he stated.

 

“Most of the lighthouses in Orissa are situated near tourist spots or serene locations. The lighthouses also bear the silent testimony of the British rule in the country as many of these were built in the pre-Independence days. The project aims at utilizing the tourism potential of these spots” Chauhan said.

Chauhan was in Orissa to review the operation of the existing lighthouses and progress in construction of new lighthouses in the state.

Apart from the ones in Orissa, the other lighthouses which would be converted into tourist spots in the first phase included Dwraka Point and Verval in Gujarat, Aguada (Goa), Minicoy Island (Lakshadweep), Muttam, Rameswaram, Mahabalipuram and Madras (Tamilnadu), Dolphin’s Nose (Andhra Pradesh), Kodalur Point and Vizhinjan (Kerala).

Similarly, the DDG of lighthouses said, the department would set up heritage museum in some of the selected lighthouses in the country and Goplapur is one of them. Under the National Maritime Heritage Museum (NMHM) project, the lighthouses will showcase the rich tradition of sea navigation in the country, he added.     

The department proposed to build at least three more lighthouses in the Orissa coast. While the lighthouse at Prayagi in Ganjam district is under construction, the proposed lighthouses at Debi Point in Kendrapada district and Mayipur in Bhadrak district would be taken up after getting the environment clearance.  

The 30 meter high Prayagi lighthouse, being built as a cost of Rs 1.20 crore, is scheduled to be completed in December.