KOLKATA, JULY 7, 2013:  In Bengali, ‘Unakoti’ means a unit less than one crore. And, the popular myth is that Lord Shiva, leading this pack of 9,999,999 gods and goddesses, camped in this serene mountainous location in North Tripura, for a night, on his way to Varanasi.

But, early next morning, when he was ready to resume the journey, the rest of the team members were still sleeping. It is said, the furious god turned them into stones. Today ‘Unakoti’ is one of the largest rock-cut sculptures in India, dating back to between the eighth and ninth centuries.

NEXT STEPS

However, except for some picnickers and local travellers, not may are aware of either Unakoti or other examples of heritage structures in Tripura. In fact, to the average Indian traveller, the state hardly exists on India’s tourism map.

The dismal scene may finally see some correction in the next couple of years, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told Business Line.

“We have decided to promote tourism in this 5-year term,” Sarkar said in a recent interview. Sarkar was re-elected for the fifth consecutive term earlier this year.

“We did not sell the State earlier due infrastructure inadequacies that could have tainted our image,” he said.

He has a point. Not very long ago, Tripura suffered from a near absence of civic amenities beyond the capital. The State’s connectivity with the outer world was also dependent on just a couple of flights to Kolkata.

But, the situation has changed substantially since then. Though the national highway widening project is far from complete, Agartala is now connected by metre-gauge rail. The slow pace notwithstanding, a project is on for broad-gauging the line. The airport now handles 22 flights (to and fro) and is scheduled for expansion.

Most importantly, nearly 90 per cent of habitations in the State are now electrified. With abundant generation capacity, work is on to improve the quality of power .

Good metal roads now criss-cross the entire State. And, a majority of the villages are connected by metal roads.

PLANNED DEVELOPMENT

With basic infrastructure in place, the North-Eastern State is now resorting to a planned development of tourist grids and the requisite amenities.

“The North-Eastern Council in the past commissioned Tata Consultancy to develop a master plan to promote tourism in the region. We are using this to promote tourism in Tripura,” Sarkar said.

The State has already created a tourism development corporation to connect with tour operators across the country.

FOCUS ON HOSPITALITY

There is, however, one missing link in this plan: Tripura does not have a single luxury hotel, even in Agartala. The standard of hospitality in the rest of the State is at best rudimentary.

Sarkar is aware of the inadequacies. “We are going to have the first star hotel soon in Agartala,” he said. “Construction of Raj Continental is on. It will start as a four-star hotel, to be upgraded in due course,” he said.

Further, the Tripura Tourism Development Corporation has joined hands with the India Tourism Development Corporation for developing a three-star property.

“The plan is firmed up. ITDC has to get a few clearances at their end,” the chief minister said.

Source: Business Line, DT. July 7, 2013.