Date:02/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/02/stories/2005080211380400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government accused of neglecting tourism

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Abdul Sattar Sait, outgoing Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) Chairman, on Monday charged that the State Government had adopted a "stepmotherly attitude to tourism development," denying financial aid to several key projects despite repeated requests.

Addressing presspersons after submitting his resignation from the chairman's post, Mr. Sait said several tourism projects inaugurated two years ago have not made any visible progress. These included the Palace on Wheels, a sound and light show at Mysore Palace and the ropeway projects at Chamundi Hills and Nandi Hills.

The KSTDC mad a profit of Rs. 30 lakhs in the first quarter of the current financial year, which he said, was a record in its 15-year history.

The corporation also added four Volvo buses to its fleet and is in the process of acquiring more buses.