Tourists could soon cruise on a ship to Buddhist pilgrimage centres in Bihar if a proposal that the government is discussing with Japan and South Korea materialises.According to sources, the two countries have shown interest in developing the “Bodh Darshan circuit” in the state to promote Buddhist tourist places.“This Bodh circuit has received a lot of interest from Japanese and Korean government. They are willing to invest for infrastructural development in Bihar,” said a person aware of the development.
Sources said that the two countries are expected to do the studies for the region and approach New Delhi with their detailed project reports (DPRs) about the circuit. The expected route will be a mix of road, rail and cruise from Haldia to Bihar.“What they are saying is that, Bihar has areas like Buddha’s birth place (Lumbini, now Nepal), followed by Sarnath Pillars and Gaya… So the entire area of Patliputra can be made into a circuit,” the source added.
Both, Japan and South Korea, have significant population practicing Buddhism. The circuit would thus help India pitch itself as an attractive tourist destination for people around the globe practicing Buddhism.
Centre has engaged Bermello and Ajamil as consultants to help formulate a roadmap to promote cruise tourism in the country. About 1,62,660 cruise passengers visited India in 2017-18. This was less than 1,91,725 cruise passengers that visited India in 2016-17.
Union minister for shipping, Nitin Gadkari, expects the industry to generate revenue of around Rs 35,000 crore and generate employment for about two lakh people.
An official from the shipping ministry, confirming the development, said that the talks are at preliminary stage and the studies are being done by the two countries.
“They are mapping it out right now as to how this can be taken forward, what kind of an infrastructure is required, et cetera… A study is being done,” said the official.
The official also added that the circuit will be part of the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP).
“We are doing it at different places where they will go via roads, trains and cruise. So they will board at Haldia, go to Bihar, roam around the circuit and come back,” the official added.
The official further said that the ministry is in talks with tourism ministry as well as industrial and commercial development corporation (ICDC) to look if the investment can be done through public-private partnership (PPP) route.
“These are the thought processes that are being considered… Lead is being taken by these countries (Japan and Korean) who are doing it on their own… They are looking at the circuit and saying that they will do the DPR and get back to us,” he said.
Sources said that as vessels for cruise tourism in India are being provided by inland waterways authority of India (IWAI), the authority has to consider the proposal too.
“The lead is being taken by IWAI for developing cruise vessels… but they can only build and give permissions to run vessels… It’s a different thing when you have to run and sustain it,” said another source.
The source also added that as Budh tourist circuit falls under the jurisdiction of the state government, thus “Centre, beyond a point, is dependent on it”.Shipping ministry has cut cruise ship charges by 50 percent to attract ships along with recommending other steps like setting up a single window system for all pre-cruise requirements, declaration of only limited items of inventory of the cruise ships, no face to face check after dis-embarking formalities, standard operating procedures (SoPs) to be framed for training and education of the personnel handling of passengers.The shipping ministry has also decided to increase the number of dock-days permitted from one to three. Foreign flag vessels carrying passengers have also been allowed to call at Indian ports without securing a licence from the director general of shipping till February 2024.
First Published on Aug 14, 2018 02:36 pm moneycontrolnews
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