JOY ROY CHOWDHURY – Kolkata
Chhattisgarh is investing heavily in developing accommodation facilities and approach roads in the state, besides putting in a lot of effort to train guides and become a favoured tourist destination in the coming years. “We are trying to catch up,” said P Sen Bhowmick, general manager, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB). He said that CTB is in the process of creating tourism-friendly infrastructure and upgrading the existing accommodation facilities. However, a spate of attacks by Maoist ultras is a serious headache for the state administration. Allaying fears, Bhowmick said: “It is true that the Maoist problem is prevalent in some pockets of the state but till now they have not orchestrated any attack on tourists visiting the state. The targets of Maoist ultras have been the police, para-military forces and the state government officials.” He claimed that Chhattisgarh is as safe as any other state of the country. He pointed out, “We are aggressively promoting the state at different national and international travel fairs and expositions to attract tourists.”
