Wednesday, February 29, 2012

UN team finds spark in Fazilka - BORDER DISTRICT’S POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT AS RURAL TOURISM HUB

Praful Chander Nagpal
Fazilka, February 28

"There is great potential for tourism in this border district of Fazilka and a number of rural places can be developed as tourist spots. We have liked the area very much," said United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) consultant on rural tourism Sudhir Sahi and the national project coordinator with the UNWTO retired brigadier TPS Chaudhary after touring different historical and culturally rich places in the border and other areas.

The UNWTO representatives were here in connection with their two-day visit to explore the possibilities for rural tourism in this border district.

"We are not supposed to disclose at this juncture which particular area would be developed as a tourist spot," said Sahi.

Fazilka Deputy Commissioner Dr Basant Garg said tourists spots would be developed under the Punjab Tourism Development Master Plan 2008-2023. The report of the important places would be presented to the authorities concerned in this regard.

Garg said the team was conducting a survey to identify different places of interest to visitors to convert them into tourist spots. "These spots would be centres of attraction for the tourists," hoped DC Garg.

On the first day of their tour, the UNWTO team visited historical spots in village Rampura where the village industry commission has proposed setting up a desi Punjabi Juti Cluster, Asafwala war memorial of the martyrs of 1971 Indo-Pak war, village Katehra where one of the biggest organised farm of 125 acres is being managed by a progressive farmer Vinod Jyani, JCP Sadiqi where retreat (flag lowering) ceremony is carried out jointly by the Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers daily besides other rural areas.

The team members also collected the statistics of geography of the border areas and met the activists of different NGOs who are engaged in providing self- employment skills and spreading the message of rich culture of this belt.

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