Tourism promotion: Much ado about nothing ?
State fails to furnish utilization report of Rs 300 crores
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Maisnam Karnajit

Imphal, May 22 2012: Owing to the inability of the state government to provide the utilization certificate for an amount of Rs 300 crores, which had been sanctioned by the Union government for taking up various projects related to promotion of Tourism in Manipur, there is high possibility of all Central sanctions being put on halt in the regard.

According to a reliable source, out of the sanctioned amount of Rs 300 crores, an Eco Tourism Park was proposed to be built at Nongmaiching, under Thoubal district at an estimated cost of Rs 3.45 crores under the 10th Five Year Plan, 2006-07 .

For the said construction, an amount of Rs 1.71 crores had been sanctioned by the Tourism Ministry and the same deposited in the account of Manipur Development Society, which is the implementing agency of the project.

However due to failure of furnishing the utilization certificate in time, no further fund have been sanctioned till date.

Again in the year 2007-08, the Central government sanctioned an amount of Rs 11 crores for development of three different tourism related destinations in the state.

An amount of Rs 5.09 was sanctioned for development of Thoubal-Pallel-Tamenglong-Moreh Tourist Circuit.

From the sanctioned amount, the state government received more than Rs 4.07 crores.

In the same year, another amount of Rs 2.18 crores was sanctioned for construction of an Arts and Crafts Centre at Maibamlokpa Ching under Bishnupur district.

From this sanctioned amount too, the state government received Rs 1.74 crores.

Likewise, in the same year, another amount of Rs3.57 crores was sanctioned for development of tourism related destinations in Bishnupur district by the Ministry of Tourism, out of which the state government received Rs 2.85 crores.

All the amounts sanctioned during 2007-08 were deposited in the account of Tribal Development Corporation.

But none of the projects have been completed till today.

Again during 2008-09, an amount of Rs 20 crores was sanctioned for development of a tourist circuit and another amount of Rs 8 crores had been sanctioned for setting up tourism related destinations in two different locations.

However, work on the tourist circuit, which is to be constructed by Tribal Development Corporation and for which certain amount of money had been sanctioned, is yet to be completed, the source added.

Likewise the tourist circuit like Imphal-Luwangsangbam-Sekmai-Kanglatongbi-Mao, etc, has not been properly taken up by the Corporation.

The Adventure Tourism Complex which is being developed by the Tribal Development Corporation has not been able to furnish the utilization certificate to the Tourism Department.

The tourist destination at Jiribam, which is to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 4.46 crores, still remains to be taken up, the source further revealed.

The source also disclosed that an amount of Rs 84 lakhs had been deposited in the account of Manipur Development Society for the construction of Heingang Marjing Polo Imphal Complex, apart from another amount of Rs 2.02 crores for development of Khongjom Memorial Complex.

As such a huge amount of money in terms of crores which has been deposited in the accounts of Manipur Development Society and Tribal Development Corporation for various projects remain unknown to the Tourism department and the progress of the work also not made known to the department.

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