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Wednesday, May 25, 2005

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M.P. Tourism nets profits

Staff Correspondent

Plan to promote Kayatha as an Indus Valley site

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Limited (MPT) has gone through a major turnaround. After continuously showing losses, it has now emerged as a profit-making Government-owned autonomous corporation earning Rs. 2.25 crores as profit after depreciation and generating revenue of Rs. 17 crores in the year 2004-2005.

This was announced by the MPT Chairman, Nitish Bharadwaj, at a press conference here on Tuesday. He said that the highlight of MPT's functioning during the last one year has been the performance by its hotels that have now started making profit after continuously showing losses for the past several years.

He said that tourism had failed to take off in the State due to bad roads and inadequate infrastructure. Concerted efforts have been made during the last one year to improve the situation, especially on the roads and power front through better coordination with the concerned departments, he said adding that 25 roads have been identified to link tourist circuits and the work on most of these roads would be completed by the end of this year.

Dr. Bharadwaj said that MPT aims at promoting Madhya Pradesh both within and outside the country by playing the role of a facilitator. He said that the on-going tiger controversy has left its adverse impact on tourism. However as far as the tiger situation in Madhya Pradesh is concerned, the facts have already been projected through the British Broadcasting Corporation, he pointed out.

The MPT Chairman said that his organisation intended using Rs. 2 crores for national and international media presence through advertisements, interviews and by participating in trade fairs. For this purpose, the Corporation has also sought Rs. 10 crores from the State Chief Minister.

He added that MPT would start from July this year a 3-hour non-AC cruise from Bargi to Mandla, from where people can visit the Kanha Tiger Reserve. He also briefed newsmen about Kayatha, an archaeological site dating back to the Indus Valley civilisation, and said that it would soon be developed into an important circuit for tourists.

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M.P. Tourism nets profits