UT tourism promotion plans left in lurch

Even as a variety of events are being held to mark World Tourism Week in the city, the proposals of the Chandigarh Administration for tourism promotion have either failed to take off or the schemes have been scrapped altogether. From starting Night Tourism to having a light and sound show to the the break & breakfast scheme, none of the ventures have seen successful.

For the past few years, the UT Administration was making claims of starting the facility of Night Tourism. As part of this programme, the Capitol Complex along with some other tourist spots in the city including Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden and Rose Garden were to be illuminated. A guided tour was to be organised for the tourists. It was also proposed that a tour of these spots would be given to the tourists on the hop on-hop off bus. However, the proposal never took off.

In fact, entry to the Capitol Complex, which is the most renowned work of Le Corbusier, is restricted even during the day. The Capitol Complex comprises of the Secretariat, Assembly and High Court as well as several monuments. There are several restrictions to visit these buildings with Punjab and Haryana governments that have occupied the buildings citing security concerns as one of the reasons.

Nominated councillor and architect Surinder Bahga said, "People from different countries come to the city to see the creations of Le Corbusier. However, the process of getting permission for the Capitol Complex is very tedious. There is a need for having tourist guides in the city who know different languages. Not many tourist attractions have been added to the city in the past few years and some need to be added in the southern sectors."

The bed and breakfast scheme was scrapped in 2009 after violations were allegedly found in the operations. It was found that the owners were charging higher rates than what was prescribed and the premises were being misused. The subsequent proposals for revival of the scheme have not found favour.

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