DAPORIJO, Jul 2: Tourism Minister Nakap Nalo emphasized the need to make all the defunct tourism infrastructures in the state functional to boost the tourism sector.
Nalo, who on Monday visited Mell Botom Tourist Resort here in Upper Subansiri district, said all the government-sponsored assets, like tourist lodges, cafeterias, picnic spots and wayside amenities for tourists, would be made functional soon to promote tourism in the district.
He said the non-functional tourism infrastructures in Upper Subansiri would be leased out to “capable and experienced persons,” and that there would be no restriction on capable parties to run two or more such lodges.
The minister sought a detailed report from District Tourism Officer (in-charge) Tanya Siga on the non-functional and leased-out tourism infrastructures in the district.
The DTO informed the minister that there are 27 tourism infrastructures lying defunct in the district for many years.
“Two leased-out assets – one in Dugi and the other in Sikanyo – out of the three, are still non-operational, while the revenues remain unpaid by the parties since the lease agreements were executed with the authority,” Siga said.
“The Mell Botom Tourist Resort, run by a private party, is the only functional tourist lodge in the district,” he informed.
The infrastructure of the resort, which had remained non-functional since 1994-95, has been given out on a long-term lease to a private party in the PPP mode.
The minister said anything “unconstitutional” would not be compromised with under any circumstances, and that action would be initiated against the defaulter(s).
He advised the DTO and Mell Botom Tourist Resort managing director Dosh Dasi to submit the requirements of the resort to the government.
